Microfinance

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The microfinance movement is one of the most successful ever in the worlds of foreign aid and philanthropy, not least thanks to the stories it told of poor women climbing out of poverty through entrepreneurship. But the hype has side effects: credit bubbles in India and other countries, and a brewing backlash as rigorous new studies challenge the claims of poverty reduction. David Roodman set out to cut through the hype with his Microfinance Open Book Blog that charted the journey to his 2011 book Due Diligence: An Impertinent Inquiry into Microfinance.