ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the evolution of microfinance and review broad sets of issues. It examines a number of key issues about the demand of poor people for microfinancial services and the informal and formal ways in which these have been met. The book looks at one of the schemes that have been designed to help very poor people in Bangladesh reach an economic and social position that will permit them to take advantage of microfinance, and other economic opportunities. It explores the reasons why recent evaluations of the empowerment potential of credit programs for rural women in Bangladesh have arrived at very conflicting conclusions. The book reviews the evolution and present status of the world’s best known MFI – the Grameen Bank.
