scholarly journals Unboxing the black box on the dimensions of social globalisation and the efficiency of microfinance institutions in Asia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-592
Author(s):  
Hafezali Iqbal Hussain ◽  
Katarzyna Szczepańska-Woszczyna ◽  
Fakarudin Kamarudin ◽  
Nazratul Aina Mohamad Anwar ◽  
Mohd Haizam Mohd Saudi

Research background: Microfinance institutions (MFIs) play an important role in alleviating poverty. Thus, MFIs should be efficient in order to ensure that their objectives on social welfare and financial performance can be achieved by identifying the potential determinants, specifically on social globalisation. Purpose of the article: This paper examines the impacts of the social globalisation dimensions of interpersonal, informational, and cultural globalisations on the financial and social efficiency of MFIs. Methods: The data period covered the years 2011?2018; the data set consists of 176 MFIs from six Asian countries. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach was employed to examine the MFIs? efficiency levels. Generalised Least Square (GLS) regressions were used to analyse the impacts of social globalisation and other determinants towards the efficiency of MFIs. Findings and value added: Interpersonal globalisation had a significantly negative correlation with social efficiency, suggesting that increasing the number of foreigners in management intrudes on local managers? decisions. Informational globalisation had a significantly positive correlation with financial and social efficiency, which signifies that more information produces monopolistic profits in this industry. Finally, cultural globalisation had a positive correlation with social efficiency, demonstrating that a global trading culture improves the abilities and technological skills for labour development and enhances MFIs? social efficiency. In general, the Cobb Douglas Production theory explained the understanding of the impacts social globalisation has on MFI efficiency. Furthermore, the findings from this study could provide important scientific, practical gap and contribute new insights and implications to various parties. Firstly, governments or policymakers can establish effective national policies and strategies. Secondly, this study could support investors in monitoring and understanding the performance of MFIs. Finally, the research could fill scholarly gaps and uncover more potential factors that influence the efficiency of MFIs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 1362-1376
Author(s):  
Purwanto Purwanto ◽  
Ina Primiana ◽  
Dian Masyita ◽  
Erie Febrian

The involvement of Islamic Microfinance Institutions (IMFI) in building the national economy is paramount to help the poor. However, provision of access and services to lower-level households can potentially conflict with the sustainability of the institutions. This study analyses the social outreach factors that determine financial and social efficiencies. To reach the set goal and solve this issue, we used mixed methodology combining quantitative (statistical instruments, such as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and multivariate analysis) and qualitative approaches (interviews to clarify or deepen the existing information). The assessment of the dependent variables is influenced by proxies of depth, breadth, length, scope, and cost. The results showed that the average loan instalments and the number of offices and branches significantly influence financial and social efficiency. The age of the institution only has an effect on financial efficiency. Simultaneously, profit orientation, the amount and type of financing and the amount and type of savings only have a high impact on social efficiency, whereas the impact of fund collection and cost per borrower is insignificant. There is a strong positive correlation between the two dependent variables. The influence of independent variables on financial and social efficiency is significant with the coefficient of determination 23.1274 % and 53.2941 %, respectively.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Velid Efendic ◽  
Nejra Hadziahmetovic

Abstract This paper investigates the financial and social efficiency of microfinance institutions (“MFIs”) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the effects of the latest crisis on these “two-dimensional” efficiencies. Specifically, we analyze the efficiency of MFIs in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as a good case of a European, post-war country in transition with a developed micro-financial sector. The efficiency analysis relies on secondary data collected and investigated through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The study covers data for the period commencing in 2008 and ending in 2015. In our empirical investigation, we find a suboptimal level of both financial and social efficiency among MFIs in BiH. However, financial efficiency is significantly higher than social efficiency, while small-sized MFIs over perform larger ones in both the financial and social dimensions. As a result of the crisis, MFIs recorded a declining trend in efficiency up to 2010, after which they began to show signs of slow recovery. However, our results suggest that MFIs prioritized financial over social goals in recovery period following the crisis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097300522110052
Author(s):  
Joyeeta Deb ◽  
Ram Pratap Sinha

Increased competition coupled with commercialisation in the Indian microfinance sector has brought about many major transformations. From an impact-driven development programme, microfinance institutions (MFIs) today emerged as commercially oriented profit-making entities. In addition to bringing their commercial and social objectives into balance, MFIs today are striving for efficient level of operation. Efficiency in the level of operation of MFIs allows them to remain competitive and attain financial sustainability. However, it is also imperative for MFIs to remain socially committed towards the ultimate mission of reaching the poorest at the bottom of the pyramid. Hence, it is of research interest to see the trade-off between MFIs’ social objective of spreading outreach and at the same time remaining financially sustainable. Against this backdrop, this article is devoted to study the potential impact of competition and commercialisation on efficiency of MFIs in India and Bangladesh. The study is carried over 75 MFIs altogether over the period of 8 years from 2009 to 2016. The data have been collected from microfinance information exchange database. Efficiency is measured through technical efficiency (TE) scores as estimated under data envelopment analysis. In order to establish the association between competitions, which is estimated by the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI), tobit regression is used. The study evidenced increasing level of competition in the sector over the years, but it is more pronounced in India as against Bangladesh. In order to analyse the trade-off, TE scores are separately estimated under both financial and social measures. TE score is found to be higher in case of social measures of efficiency as against financial efficiency. Further, under both the measures, competition is found to be having a significant impact on both financial and social efficiency.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurazilah Zainal ◽  
Annuar Md Nassir ◽  
Fakarudin Kamarudin ◽  
Siong Hook Law

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how banking regulation and supervision affect the performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs). It proposes performance of the MFIs from the aspect of social and financial efficiency because the MFIs nowadays not only view to sustain the social role of poverty eradication but in the same time they must strive the financial sustainability to maintain the operation in long run. This study also includes the macroeconomic condition and firm level variables to control for social and financial efficiency of the MFIs. Design/methodology/approach The data consists 168 MFIs from five countries in Southeast Asia from year 2011 to 2017. First stage of analysis is to identify level of social and financial efficiency by using data envelopment analysis approach. Second stage is to examine impact of bank regulation and supervision to the social and financial efficiency by applying panel regression analysis and generalized method of moments for robust estimation methods. Findings The finding shows the MFIs own lower social efficiency and higher score in financial efficiency. This indicates in pursuing financial sustainability, the MFIs in Southeast Asia countries have lost sight of their original mission of poverty reduction. Furthermore, the result also presents a significant impact of bank regulation and supervision to the social and financial efficiency of the MFIs. However, the results appear in different direction when more negative effect is associated with social efficiency. This specifies that bank regulation and supervision are not appropriate to accommodate the social needs, thus hampering the effort of poverty reduction by the MFIs. Research limitations/implications The present study only concentrates on the impact bank regulation and supervision to the performance of the MFIs. As the operation of the MFIs currently has been largely exposed in banking operation, it is suggested that future studies to look for other special issues such as country governance that might influence specifically in social and financial aspect of the MFIs. Practical implications The empirical findings from this study could be useful and may have significant implications for the regulators. The regulators or policymakers could establish the new regulation framework that fulfil the dual needs (social and financial) of the MFIs. Furthermore, the empirical findings also could serve as guidance to regulators and decision-makers in designing new policies for a sustainable and competitive sector of the MFIs. Although the MFIs recently brings a similar role as commercial banks, they need to retain the social aspects as that is the original mission of the MFIs Originality/value The present study proves that the bank regulation and supervision have brought a significant influence to the performance of the MFIs in ASEAN 5 countries.


Equilibrium ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Cyrek

Research background: Regions that are able to use their resources in the most efficient way could be perceived as valuable benchmarks when shaping socio-economic policy. The concept of efficiency, however, may be related not only to pure economic categories but to social goals as well. The economic and social spheres overlap and often have some common origins, among which, the sectoral structure of employment seems to be an important one. Purpose of the article: The aim of the study was to compare the social efficiency of employment in three sectors in Polish voivodeships. Not only were we evaluating the relative performance of each region, but we were also paying attention to the efficiency of engagement of human resources in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors. Methods: We adopted the DEA method to assess the social efficiency of Polish regions. We have evaluated social cohesion concerning its two output dimensions: positive, which may be described by social activity, and negative, which may be reflected in the form of social exclusion stemming from material sources. We took into account the level of employment in agricultural, industrial and service sectors as inputs in the model and thus focused our attention on the three sectoral structure of the regional economies. Our model assumed non-radial developmental paths and was input oriented (NR-CCR). The data described the 16 Polish voivodeships in the year 2015, and were extracted from the Central Statistical Office of Poland’s databases. Findings & value added: The research conducted indicates that Polish regions which were the most efficient in terms of social integration were simultaneously those with the best economic results in terms of GDP per capita. The highest social efficiency level was characteristic for employment in the service sector, while agriculture was placed at the lowest level. The same pattern was revealed when social activity and the danger of poverty were considered separately. Thus, structural development appears to be favourable for regional economies also in terms of social cohesion, which is a factor often neglected in the literature.


Author(s):  
Ojo O. J. ◽  
Yusuf B. A. ◽  
Aremu J. A.

The study estimated the output of informal sector of the Nigerian Cement Industry through the consumption of cement by the Nigerian Construction industry. The research was conducted using secondary data. The study adopted the statistical model of informal sector estimation, Nigeria construction industry being cement intensive, cement consumption approach was used for the estimation of the informal sector of the industry by using annual cement consumption as an independent variable against the annual construction output in a time series regression analysis, treating the informal sector output as an omitted variable in the ordinary least square method of estimation. Annual value added tax (VAT) pool data set was chosen as an instrumental variable. Using the instrumental variable method of estimation, the informal sector proportion of the Nigeria construction industry was therefore estimated. The study concluded that the informal sector of the Nigerian construction industry is 4.07 percent of the industry's output.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Bharti ◽  
Sushant Malik

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether focus on social output affects the efficiency of MFIs. Inclusive growth is the key developmental aim for many developing countries, including India. The role of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in promoting financial inclusion is widely applauded. However, to achieve financial sustainability, MFIs have become highly commercialised and are seen to have drifted away from their social mission. Various studies have shown the efficiency of MFIs on financial parameters. MFIs being a social enterprise, it is important to include social output among the efficiency parameters. Design/methodology/approach This study attempts to compare the efficiency of MFIs with and without social performances across the various size of MFIs based on their asset, i.e. large, medium and small. This study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for assessing an MFI’s efficiency. For calculating the social output score, the Gutman Scale is used. Efficiency is calculated with and without social output, and the resulting scores are compared to assess the impact of social performance on the efficiency of MFIs. Findings The results of this study allow us to conclude that with the inclusion of social output, the efficiency of MFIs improves across various categories. In terms of social performances, it is concluded that MFIs are targeting women and mostly working in rural areas but have neglected issues like health and education. Originality/value The findings of this study will help MFIs in formulating their mission and vision statements and in achieving the objective of financial inclusion without experiencing mission drift.


Author(s):  
Kenfack Geraud Francis ◽  
Ningaye Paul ◽  
Kuipou Toukam Christophe

The objective of this paper is to find out the direction of Global Value Chain Participation (GVCP) that contribute more to the Current Account Balance (CAB) in landlocked African countries from 2000 to 2018. Our specification follows the IMF's External Balance Assessment (EBA) model. The Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) econometric technique is applied on data from three sources: (1) UNCTAD-EORA database for forward and backward participation indicators, (2) World Development Indicator (WDI) data set, for current account balance, foreign direct investment (FDI), population and trade openness and (3) Penn World Tables (PWT) for exchange rates. Results highlight a positive and significant contribution of forward GVCP on CAB in landlocked African countries. The study recommends that landlocked African countries should be active providers of value-added intermediary inputs to other Global Value Chain actors.


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