Introduction to Microfinance for Development (Syllabus)

David Roodman

12/07/2009

This course explores the role of microfinance in economic development. It will discuss how poor people in poor countries use financial services such as credit and savings; the history and practice of delivering such services; what is known about their contribution to development; and how stories and statistical studies shape public perceptions of microfinance.

Course Outline

1. The Puzzle of Impact

2. How People Manage Money

3. History and Variety of Microfinance

4. Microfinance as Business

5. Measuring Impacts on Poverty

6. Development as Freedom

7. Student Presentations

Research Topics

• Aid Effectiveness
• Finance

CGD Experts

• David Roodman

Articles

• Microfinance as Freedom?
• Microfinance Open Book Blog: Q&A with David Roodman
• Roodman’s Microfinance Open Book Blog
• Interview with David Roodman on the Commitment to Development Index and Microfinance (PBS Show Foreign Exchange)

Events

• Eyes Beyond the Prize: Envisioning the Next Thirty Years of Microfinance
• Microfinance and Development: Learning What Policies Work, What Do Not, And Why
• Mobilizing Private Sector Capital for Microfinance Development

Multimedia

• David Roodman on Microfinance and a Year of Blogging
• Beyond Microfinance: Principles of Access to Finance (Podcast)