ブックタイトル佐藤栄作論文集９～１６

概要

佐藤栄作論文集９～１６

set up in Chicago in 1991 by micro-finance organizations in the nation who recognizedthe need to share experience to ensure collective learning and to organize a forumto promote microfinancing for people and communities (particularly inner cities) withlimited access to the commercial banking system. Currently, it’s member list containsmore than 500 self-defined“micro-enterprise development organizations.”18One of its members, the Chicago-based Women’s Self-Employment Project (WSEP)models itself on the Grameen Bank, using peer pressure and moral support of“lendingcircles”to enforce loan repayments.As the AEO’s position paper indicated, however,“micro-enterprise”programs in theUS involve a much wider range of institutions with different functions than anywhereelse. They include: (1) credit-led individual loan programs which provide loans toborrowers on an individual basis; (2) training-led programs which provide training/technical assistance to borrowers before offering or referring borrowers to creditproviders; and (3) peer lending programs which, like WSEP, provide credit to microborrowersthrough peer groups exerting peer pressure against default and providingmoral support. Generally, US micro-enterprise programs tend to emphasize technicalassistance and business skills as much as or more than financial assistance. This isso in part because US economic and regulatory structures (e.g., tax laws) are morecomplex than those found in many countries of the South. Furthermore, it has beenpointed out that micro-enterprise programs in the US must work harder to locatepotential clients because, unlike the South where a 50 to 70% of the workforce is selfemployed,the US has only about an 8% self-employment rate. Finally, since the UScapital market is well developed and also as large commercial banks have their ownneighborhood development programs, micro-enterprise programs tend to“graduate”their most successful and best clients to the formal banking system. This tendency68418 AEO (website: http://www.wwa.com/~aeo/aeobro.html).