IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jsecdv/v19y2017i2d10.1007_s40847-018-0049-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial efficiency versus social outreach of Indian microfinance institutions: mission drift or character shift?

Author

Listed:
  • Lalitagauri Kulkarni

    (Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics)

Abstract

The efforts of microfinance institutions to improve financial profitability and attract funding from the market may not necessarily conflict with the outreach objective of empowering the poor. In fact, a better-managed financially sound institution may promise a more sustainable effort toward outreach falsifying the occurrence of the trade-off between outreach and financial profitability. The study analyzes the trends in financial indicators reflecting portfolio risk, financial efficiency, productivity and outreach for microfinance institutions in India. The objective of the study is to verify the association between financial performance and outreach. The MIX market data on 46 microfinance institutions for 2005–2014 are used for the analysis. The panel data method with fixed effect model is applied to adjust for the heterogeneity within the sector. The present study finds no evidence of the trade-off between efficiency and outreach objectives in India. The results of the study are important for the investors and policy makers as it provides evidence that increasing outreach will not adversely affect the financial health of the microfinance institutions if they are operationally efficient and productive. The present study draws attention to the fact that the character of MFIs is shifting from unprofessionally managed naïve institutions run by people for the benefit of the people. Most of the MFIs today are professionally run, investor-friendly, profit conscious, or rather profit-driven organizations. This character shift calls for reconsidering the system costs of various subsidies and concessional refinance given to these institutions on a blanket basis.

Suggested Citation

  • Lalitagauri Kulkarni, 2017. "Financial efficiency versus social outreach of Indian microfinance institutions: mission drift or character shift?," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 19(2), pages 323-340, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jsecdv:v:19:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s40847-018-0049-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s40847-018-0049-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40847-018-0049-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s40847-018-0049-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ghatak, Maitreesh, 2000. "Screening by the Company You Keep: Joint Liability Lending and the Peer Selection Effect," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(465), pages 601-631, July.
    2. repec:bla:devpol:v:23:y:2005:i:6:p:703-723 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Jalan, Jyotsna & Ravallion, Martin, 2001. "Household income dynamics in rural China," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2706, The World Bank.
    4. Niels Hermes & Robert Lensink & Habteab Mehrteab, 2006. "Does the Group Leader Matter? The Impact of Monitoring Activities and Social Ties of Group Leaders on the Repayment Performance of Group‐based Lending in Eritrea," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 18(1), pages 72-97.
    5. Junyon Im & Sunny Sun, 2015. "Profits and outreach to the poor: The institutional logics of microfinance institutions," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 95-117, March.
    6. DeanS. Karlan, 2007. "Social connections and group banking," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(517), pages 52-84, February.
    7. Annabel Vanroose & Bert D’Espallier, 2013. "Do microfinance institutions accomplish their mission? Evidence from the relationship between traditional financial sector development and microfinance institutions’ outreach and performance," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(15), pages 1965-1982, May.
    8. Robert Cull & Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Jonathan Morduch, 2009. "Microfinance Meets the Market," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 23(1), pages 167-192, Winter.
    9. Beatriz Armendáriz & Ariane Szafarz, 2011. "On Mission Drift in Microfinance Institutions," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Beatriz Armendáriz & Marc Labie (ed.), The Handbook Of Microfinance, chapter 16, pages 341-366, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    10. David Hulme & Mathilde Maitrot, 2014. "Has Microfinance Lost its Moral Compass?," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 20514, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    11. Arvind Ashta & Marek Hudon, 2009. "To whom should we be fair? Ethical issues in Balancing Stakeholder Interests from Banco Compartamos Case Study," Working Papers CEB 09-036.RS, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    12. Hermes, Niels & Lensink, Robert & Meesters, Aljar, 2011. "Outreach and Efficiency of Microfinance Institutions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 938-948, June.
    13. Shahidur R. Khandker, 2005. "Microfinance and Poverty: Evidence Using Panel Data from Bangladesh," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 19(2), pages 263-286.
    14. Jayati Ghosh, 2013. "Microfinance and the challenge of financial inclusion for development," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 37(6), pages 1203-1219.
    15. Mersland, Roy, 2009. "The Cost of Ownership in Microfinance Organizations," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 469-478, February.
    16. Agier, Isabelle & Szafarz, Ariane, 2013. "Microfinance and Gender: Is There a Glass Ceiling on Loan Size?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 165-181.
    17. Ashim Kumar Kar, 2013. "Mission drift in microfinance: are the concerns really worrying? Recent cross-country results," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 44-60, January.
    18. Shakil Quayes, 2015. "Outreach and performance of microfinance institutions: a panel analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(18), pages 1909-1925, April.
    19. repec:dgr:rugsom:08002 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Sriram M S, 2010. "Commercialisation of Microfinance in India: A Discussion on the Emperor’s Apparel," IIMA Working Papers WP2010-03-04, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    21. Coleman, Brett E., 2006. "Microfinance in Northeast Thailand: Who benefits and how much?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1612-1638, September.
    22. Ashim Kumar Kar, 2012. "Does capital and financing structure have any relevance to the performance of microfinance institutions?," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 329-348, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Keddad, Benjamin & Obiang, Jean Robert Obiang, 2024. "Determinants of deposits volatility: The case of the microfinance sector in gabon," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    2. Sunil Sangwan & Narayan Chandra Nayak, 2019. "Do outreach approaches differ between Self-Help Group-Bank Linkage and Microfinance Institution-based microfinance? Evidences from Indian states," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 21(1), pages 93-115, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gutiérrez-Nieto, Begoña & Serrano-Cinca, Carlos, 2019. "20 years of research in microfinance: An information management approach," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 183-197.
    2. Niels Hermes & Marek Hudon, 2018. "Determinants Of The Performance Of Microfinance Institutions: A Systematic Review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(5), pages 1483-1513, December.
    3. Hermes, Cornelis & Hudon, M., 2018. "Determinants of the Performance of Microfinance Institutions: A Systematic Review," Research Report 2018008, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    4. B. Mak Arvin & Byron Lew (ed.), 2015. "Handbook on the Economics of Foreign Aid," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 15762.
    5. Hudon, Marek & Périlleux, Anaïs, 2014. "Surplus distribution and characteristics of social enterprises: Evidence from microfinance," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 147-157.
    6. Janda, Karel & Zetek, Pavel, 2014. "Mikrofinanční Revoluce: Aktuální Kontroverze A Výzvy [Microfinance Revolution: Recent Controversies And Challenges]," MPRA Paper 54098, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Brière, Marie & Szafarz, Ariane, 2015. "Does Commercial Microfinance Belong to the Financial Sector? Lessons from the Stock Market," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 110-125.
    8. Janda, Karel & Zetek, Pavel, 2014. "Survey of Microfinance Controversies and Challenges," MPRA Paper 56657, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Patrick Reichert, 2018. "A meta-analysis examining the nature of trade-offs in microfinance," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(3), pages 430-452, July.
    10. Karel Janda & Pavel Zetek, 2015. "Mikrofinanční revoluce: kontroverze a výzvy [Microfinance Revolution: Controversies and Challenges]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2015(1), pages 108-130.
    11. Kendo, Sandra & Tchakounte, Josephine, 2022. "The drivers of the financial integration of microfinance Institutions: Do financial development, agency costs and microfinance performance matter?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 128-142.
    12. Farah NAZ & Sarah SALIM & Ramiz ur REHMAN & Muhammad Ishfaq AHMAD & Rizwan ALI, 2019. "Determinants of financial sustainability of microfinance institutions in Pakistan," Upravlenets, Ural State University of Economics, vol. 10(4), pages 51-64, September.
    13. Ashim Kumar Kar & Ranjula Bali Swain, 2018. "Competition, Performance and Portfolio Quality in Microfinance Markets," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(5), pages 842-870, December.
    14. Caserta, Maurizio & Monteleone, Simona & Reito, Francesco, 2018. "The trade-off between profitability and outreach in microfinance," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 31-41.
    15. Lucia Dalla Pellegrina & Damla Diriker & Paolo Landoni & Davide Moro & Mahinda Wijesiri, 2024. "Financial and social sustainability in the European microfinance sector," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(3), pages 1249-1292, October.
    16. repec:dau:papers:123456789/14039 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Junyon Im & Sunny Sun, 2015. "Profits and outreach to the poor: The institutional logics of microfinance institutions," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 95-117, March.
    18. Simon Zaby, 2019. "Science Mapping of the Global Knowledge Base on Microfinance: Influential Authors and Documents, 1989–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-21, July.
    19. D’Espallier, Bert & Hudon, Marek & Szafarz, Ariane, 2013. "Unsubsidized microfinance institutions," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 120(2), pages 174-176.
    20. Cull, Robert & Navajas, Sergio & Nishida, Ippei & Zeiler, Renate, 2015. "A New Index of the Business Environment for Microfinance," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 357-388.
    21. Bos, Jaap W.B. & Millone, Matteo, 2015. "Practice What You Preach: Microfinance Business Models and Operational Efficiency," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 28-42.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jsecdv:v:19:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s40847-018-0049-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.