Microfinance in Europe: Investing in Financial and Social Inclusion?//

Acronym:

EIBURSMICROFIN

Funding:

European Investment Bank

Project's holder:

Nicolas Rebière

Associated team:

COMPTRASEC UMR 5114 CNRS Université de Bordeaux, UCD Geary Institute (leader), Université de Genève

Duration:

3 years - March 2015-March 2018

Abstract:

This research project comes within the framework of the European EIBURS program (the EIB University Research Sponsorship program), which supports the activity of University research centres in the European Union working on research themes of major interest to the European Investment Bank.

The aim of the project is to improve the understanding and measure the impact of microfinance on the financial and social inclusion of Europeans, and to identify the conditions necessary in order to maximise the efficacy of this tool with the aim of providing decision-making tools to within the framework of a European strategy for 2020 for sustainable and inclusive growth. This involves not only the collection and production of databases that will enable the impact of microfinance to be measured, but also taking into consideration the influence of the economic models of microfinancing bodies as well as the economic and social contexts in the different countries (regulation of the labour market, accessibility of financial services, social protection policies etc.). Particular attention will also be paid to the impact of microfinance on equal opportunities according to age and gender.

To achieve this aim a multidisciplinary approach will be adopted, including political economics, social politics, sociology (Geary Institute, University College Dublin, leader of the project), law, demographics (Comptrasec, University of Bordeaux), economics and financial economics (University of Geneva).