Are there research reports and studies that show the impact of microfinance?
There are several studies that are publicly available. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in 2008 released a seven-year survey that suggested significant improvement in the households of microfinance borrowers. The Maturing of Indian Microfinance, 2004. A five-year commissioned study by consultancy EDA-Rural Systems surveyed approximately 5,400 households to compare conditions of microfinance borrowers and non-borrowers. The results suggest that there are material poverty-reducing effects from microfinance. Profiling of Micro Enterprises in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, 2005, a report by the Institute for Financial Management and Research Centre for Micro Finance in Chennai , shows how borrowers profited from their micro-businesses. The 2008 Report of the Committee on Financial Inclusion from the Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory talks broadly about the importance of financial inclusion for the poor.
