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Microfinance

For more information, contact Mia Kirstien
Lippincott Library
General Suggestions for Researching Microfinance

Microfinance is a still a young field and the words that describe its practice are still being defined. If you search for microfinance the databases may not know that you are also interested in micro finance, microlending, and rural lending unless you specifically search for all four terms.

For that reason, when searching the following databases, consider using related terms such as microbanking, microcredit, microsavings, microloan, microlending, microinsurance, rural credit, rural lending, social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, and social ventures.

Articles

ABI/Inform - Proquest
See the Lippincott Library ABI/Inform - Proquest Search Aid for more information on its features and search syntax.

Sample Search   microfinanc* or microbank* or microcredit* or
microsaving* or microloan* or microlend* or microinsur*
Date range: After this date... 1/1/2004
Limit results to: Full text documents only
Run the search, then choose from Scholarly Journals, Trade Publications, Reference/Reports, etc.

 

Business Source Premier
See the Lippincott Library Business Source Premier Sesarch Aid for more information on its features and search syntax.

Sample Search   microfinanc* or microbank* or microcredit* or microsaving*
or microloan* or microlend* or microinsur*
Limit your results: Full Text, Published since January 2004.
Expand your search to: Also search within the full text of the articles.
Run the search, then Narrow Results by Subject or by type of publication, e.g. Academic Journals, Trade Publications, etc.

 

EconLit

Sample Search   microfinane (choose Descriptors, DE-) from the pulldown menu
Change -Subject Area- to Social Sciences
Date Range 2004 - 2007
English Only.

 

Factiva
See the Lippincott Library Factiva Search Aid for more information on its features and search syntax.

Sample Search   microfinance and (social enterpris* or social entrepreneur* or social venture*)
Date: In the last two years

 

ISI Citation Indexes

Sample Search   Select Advanced Search
Citation Databases: Social Sciences Citation Index
From: 2004 to 2007
TS=micronfinance
Restrict search by languages and document types: English and All document types.

 

ISI Emerging Markets

Sample Search   Select Country: Chile
Intellifind: microfinanc* or microbank* or microcredit* or microsaving*
or microloan* or microlend* or microinsur* and select Go.
Run your search, choose All Languages: English, and Refine Search by Date, Source, etc.

 

Journal of Microfinance: 2003-present available from ABI/Inform - Proquest.
Earlier articles are available for free from the Journal of Microfinance website.

Sample Search   SOURCE("Journal of Microfinance")

 

JSTOR (archives of older articles)

Sample Search   Advanced Search
microfinance or microbanking or microcredit or microsavings or
microloan or microlending or microinsurance
Discipline(s) and/or Journal(s): Business and Economics

 

Knowledge@Wharton (requires free registration)

Sample Search   microfinance

 

LexisNexis Academic Universe.
See the Lippincott Library Database Search Aid LexisNexis Academic Universe
for more information on its features and search syntax

Sample Search   Quick Search: microfinance
Date: Previous two years

 

PAIS International

Sample Search   microfinance OR microlending OR microcredit
Date Range: 2004 to 2007

 

Websites

BANKSCOPE. Penn Database. See Specialization: Micro-financing Institutions.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with sections on micro and small business finance.

IDEAS: Economics and Finance Research, hosted by the University of Connecticut Department of Economics, is a large bibliographic database that is freely available over on the Internet.

The Microfinance Gateway is sponsored by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), a consortium of 33 public and private development agencies including the World Bank, United Nations, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Microfinance's website includes databases of documents on microfinance and organizations working in the field.

Microenterprise Americas, from the Inter-American Development Bank, contains research and analysis into the history of microfinance and how it's being used today for social good as well as performance.

Visit the Grameen Bank and Grameen Foundation websites to learn more about 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus.  You may also want to read Muhammad Yunus' book, Banker to the poor : Micro-lending and the battle against world poverty, at call number HG3290.6.A6 Y86 1999 in the Van Pelt stacks.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund website includes a free online training course on microfinance, the International Year of Microcredit 2005: Final Report, and country feasibility studies.

Economics/Statistics

CGAP also sponsors The MIX Market, "the global information exchange for the microfinance industry." Detailed information on specific countries is categorized under Environment. Benchmarks and trendlines are available through TheMicroBankingBulletin.

The Asian Development Bank has sponsored numerous studies. (Search on microfinance.)

Information on a Microfinance Index can be found at the Symbiotics website.

Books

Run individual search on the following Subject Headings in the Franklin Catalog: Microfinance, Rural credit, Grameen.

Search WorldCat for other books that can be accessed through BorrowDirect+, EasyBorrow, or ILL.

Related Guides

Visit Lippincott Research Guides for help researching individual countries and regions, Business Ethics, Green Business, Socially Responsible Investing, and other complementary topics.
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