Malki, Issam and Ghalib, Asad K. and Kaousar, Rukhsana (2024) The impact of microfinance on entrepreneurship and welfare among women borrowers in rural Pakistan. World Development Perspectives, 35. ISSN 2452-2929
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Abstract
This study investigates the effects of microfinance on entrepreneurial activity and household welfare among
women borrowers in rural Pakistan. Using survey data from 463 clients of multiple microfinance institutions and
propensity score matching methods, we find that women who invest their loans in microenterprises experience
significantly higher income, clothing expenditures, poverty scores, and income diversification compared to those
who use loans for other purposes. However, we do not observe increases in health and education spending or
reductions in child labour among entrepreneurial borrowers. The results highlight the potential for microfinance
to stimulate women’s entrepreneurship and improve economic conditions in rural Pakistani households, but also
underscore the limitations in promoting human capital investment. We discuss implications for enhancing
microfinance interventions to support holistic welfare improvements for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan and
beyond.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Microfinance; Entrepreneurship; Women’s empowerment; Poverty; Pakistan |
| Faculty / Department: | Faculty of Business, Law and Criminology > Liverpool Hope Business School |
| Depositing User: | Asad Ghalib |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Oct 2024 10:02 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Jan 2025 11:42 |
| URI: | https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/4391 |
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