Gender and Microfinance in the United Arab Emirates: An Exploratory Review of Concepts and Policy Issues
Keywords:
Women, Microfinance, Empowerment, Entrepreneurs, Special Programs
Abstract
The objective of this research is to investigate the environment in which microfinance is accessed and administered within the United Arab Emirates to groups of female entrepreneurs. As a corollary to this broad objective, the present paper derives two aims of its own: First, it overviews the literature on the institutional context for microfinance in the UAE with a view to synthesizing the deployment approaches for microfinance programs in the UAE. Secondly, it surveys existing literature on the impact of the administration of microfinance programs on women's entrepreneurial motivation and activities in the UAE. This study is qualitative in nature. Data for current study is retrived from secondary sources such as journal articles, periodicals, books and websites. The paper concludes with remarks that highlight the distinctiveness of the impact of gender on microfinance in the UAE with respect to lending methods, loan sizes, repayment levels and subsequent enterprise performance. The findings indicate that by removing the explicit barriers that obstruct the growth of the region's female entrepreneurs, regional governments have an opportunity to fast track an effective transition to having more sustainable economies.
References
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Watkins, K. (2005). Human development report 2005. New York, NY: UNDP.
Younus, M. (2010). Building social business: The new kind of capitalism that serves humanity’s most pressing needs. New York, NY: Public Affairs.
African Development Bank Group. (2018). Poverty on the decline in Eastern Côte d’Ivoire. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2kV5lwY
Altantsetseg, P., Chen, K. C., & Chang, M. L. (2017). Male and female leaders’ entrepreneurial leadership: A comparative study of Mongolia, Taiwan and Thailand on leader-member exchange. Journal of Administrative and Business Studies, 3(3), 144-152.
Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Kinnan, C. (2015). The miracle of microfinance? Evidence from a randomized evaluation. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 7(1), 22-53.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20130533
Bayai, I., & Ikhide, S. (2016). Financing and financial sustainability of microfinance institutions MFIs: A conceptual view. Banks and Bank Systems, 11(2), 21-32.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/bbs.11(2).2016.02
Benchiba-Savenius, N., Mogielnicki, R., Owens, S., & Scott-Jackson, W. (2015). UAE employment report. Oxford Strategic Consulting. Oxford, UK.
Bernstein, A. (2009). Tort theory, microΫinance, and gender equity convergent in pecuniary reparations. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2ky6FG7
Brandsma, J., & Chaouali, R. (1998). Making microΫinance work in the Middle East and North Africa. Washington DC, WA: The World Bank.
Bruton, G. D., Khavul, S., & Chavez, H. (2011). Microlending in emerging economies: Building a new line of inquiry from the ground up. Journal of International Business Studies, 42(5), 718-739.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2010.58
Cull, R., Demirgü ç-Kunt, A., & Morduch, J. (2008). Does microfinance regulation curtail profitability and outreach? NYU Wagner. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2m2NWmj
Feuilherade, P. (2013). Microfinance in MENA - An untapped market. Middle East Journal, 449, 46-47.
Guérin, . F. D., I. (2006). Does microcredit reduce poverty? Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2m5ZsgC
Hansen, N. (2015). The development of psychological capacity for action: The empowering effect of a microfinance programme on women in Sri Lanka. Journal of Social Issues, 71(3), 597-613.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12130
Khandker, S. R. (2005). Microfinance and poverty: Evidence using panel data from Bangladesh. The World Bank Economic Review, 19(2), 263-286.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhi008
Latham, & Watkins. (2013). Growth of the microΫinance industry in the UAE focus of roundtable discussion. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2kt1LtX
Liedholm, C. E., & Mead, D. C. (2013). Small enterprises and economic development: The dynamics of micro and small enterprises. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Lofgren, H., & Richards, A. (2003). Food security, poverty, and economic policy in the Middle East and North Africa', food, agriculture, and economic policy in the Middle East and North Africa (Research in Middle East economics). Bingley, England: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Marku, E., & Balili, L. (2016). Microfinance role in poverty alleviation. a study in the rural credit market in Albania. In Proceedings of the 7th MAC 2016, Prague, Czech republic (p. 266-273).
McCrohan, D., Erogul, M. S., & Tong, Q. (2009). GEM report on entrepreneurship in the United Arab Emirates. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2ksMF7E
Mosley, P., & Steel, L. (2004). Microfinance, the labour market and social inclusion: A tale of three cities. Social Policy & Administration, 38(7), 721-743.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9515.2004.00415.x
Murdoch, J. (1999). The microfinance promise. Journal of Economic Literature, 37(4), 1569–1614.
Nisser, A. H. I., & Ayedh, A. M. A. (2017). Microfinance and women's empowerment in Egypt. International Journal of Business and Economic Affairs, 2(1), 52-58.
Osmani, L. N. K. (2007). A breakthrough in women's bargaining power: The impact of microcredit. Journal of International Development: The Journal of the Development Studies Association, 19(5), 695-716.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.1356
Pitt, M. M., Khandker, S. R., & Cartwright, J. (2006). Empowering women with microfinance: Evidence from Bangladesh. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 54(4), 791-831.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1086/503580
Purwanto., & Purba, C. S. (2017). Legal aid compliance for poor local community. Journal of Advanced Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(6), 363-370.
Rahman, A. (1999). Micro-credit initiatives for equitable and sustainable development: Who pays? World Development, 27(1), 67-82.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(98)00105-3
Randøy, T., Strøm, R. Ø., & Mersland, R. (2015). The impact of entrepreneur-ceo s in microfinance institutions: A global survey. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 39(4), 927-953.
Reed, L. R. (2011). State of the microcredit summit campaign report 2011 [Computer software manual]. Washington DC, WA.
Sanyal, P. (2009). From credit to collective action: The role of microfinance in promoting women's social capital and normative influence. American Sociological Review, 74(4), 529-550.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240907400402
Schmidt, R. H. (2010). Microfinance, commercialization and ethics. Poverty & Public Policy, 2(1), 99-137.
doi:https://doi.org/10.2202/1944-2858.1020
Strøm, R. Ø., D’Espallier, B., & Mersland, R. (2014). Female leadership, performance, and governance in microfinance institutions. Journal of Banking & Finance, 42, 60-75.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2014.01.014
The UAE Cabinet. (2018). The current cabinet. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2lY29Rv
The World Bank. (2017). GCC: Economic outlook- April 2017. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2m0Uq5a
Watkins, K. (2005). Human development report 2005. New York, NY: UNDP.
Younus, M. (2010). Building social business: The new kind of capitalism that serves humanity’s most pressing needs. New York, NY: Public Affairs.
Published
2018-12-28
How to Cite
Akin Fadahunsi, & Lana Barake. (2018). Gender and Microfinance in the United Arab Emirates: An Exploratory Review of Concepts and Policy Issues. Journal of Management Practices, Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(2), 49-53. Retrieved from https://global-jws.com/ojs/index.php/global-jws/article/view/14
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
