Papers by Isabelle Guérin
This paper explores the contrast between the (many) limitations and (very narrow) real scope of t... more This paper explores the contrast between the (many) limitations and (very narrow) real scope of these methods and their success in sheer number and media coverage. Our analysis suggests that the paradox is due to a particular economic and political mix driven by the innovative strategies used by this new school's researchers and by specific interests and preferences in the academic world and the donor community.
Tiers-Monde
Drawing on a case study (the randomized evaluation of the impact of the SKY microinsurance progra... more Drawing on a case study (the randomized evaluation of the impact of the SKY microinsurance program in Cambodia), this paper examines the practicalities—and compromises—of combining, on the one hand, the constraints of academic rigor with operational demands and, on the other, different methods of knowledge production (quantitative/qualitative). In order to highlight the many challenges presented by these two types of combinations in relation to randomized controlled methods, we examine the interplay between actors. Compared with other quantitative methods, the narrowness of the research questions, the stringent constraints of the study protocol, and the essential collaboration of the field operators in implementing the study make this dual combination not only inevitable, but also particularly complex.
Although microcredit programmes have long been considered efficient development tools, many forms... more Although microcredit programmes have long been considered efficient development tools, many forms of debt-induced distress have emerged in their wake. This has brought to light the problem of over-indebtedness, a topic which has been previously underexplored in the literature. This new book, from a group of leading scholars, explores the manifestations, scale, and economic and social implications of household over-indebtedness in areas conventionally considered as financially excluded. The book approaches debt not only as a financial transaction, but also as a form of social bond, and offers a socioeconomic analysis of over-indebtedness. The volume puts forward a broad
Economic and political weekly
This case study of the brick kiln sector in Chennai shows that workers are in a "mild" ... more This case study of the brick kiln sector in Chennai shows that workers are in a "mild" situation of debt bondage, have to work for long hours, and very often put their children to work as well. However, they are paid wages that are very close to the rates fixed by the government and the system of advance payment is endorsed by both workers and kiln owners and the former see it as a means to social mobility. Only the coming together of employers, unions, NGOs, public authorities and job brokers can help break the debt bondage.
In welchem MAsse und unter welchen Bedingungen tragt Mikrofinanz effektiv zur Armutsbekampfung be... more In welchem MAsse und unter welchen Bedingungen tragt Mikrofinanz effektiv zur Armutsbekampfung bei? Aus mehrjahrigen Forschungsarbeiten in sehr unterschiedlichen Regionen und anhand einer intensiven Datensammlungstatigkeit ergibt sich, dass Mikrofinanz zwar nutzlich ist, dass sie es aber nur schwer ermoglicht, Armut zu bekampfen, und dass sie unter gewissen Umstanden sogar zur Verstarkung bestimmter Formen von Ungleichheiten beitragen kann. Die Legitimitat der Mikrofinanz steht ausser Zweifel: In einem Kontext zunehmender Finanzialisierung brauchen die Armen mehr als andere finanzielle Dienstleistungen. In der Praxis sind die Auswirkungen der Mikrofinanz lautstark beteuert wird, und zwar aus zwei Hauptgrunder: Der erste Grund liegt in einer naiven, vereinfachten und zu okonomischen sicht der Probleme betreffend Armut und Ungleichheit. Der zweite Grund ergibt sich aus dem Mikrofinanzangebot, das durch noch wenig angepasste Dienstleistungen, eine wachsende Zahl von Akteuren, die nicht...
En Inde, comme dans de nombreuses autres parties du monde, la microfinance connaît un développeme... more En Inde, comme dans de nombreuses autres parties du monde, la microfinance connaît un développement exponentiel. L’objet de cet article est d’étudier l’une des spécificités du secteur microfinancier indien, le self-help-groups bank linkage. Alors que ce programme affiche des résultats relativement positifs d’un point de vue quantitatif, la qualité des services proposés reste médiocre. L’absence totale de professionnalisme et l’excessive centralisation des prises de décisions s’avèrent difficilement compatibles avec une offre adaptée à la diversité des contextes et des besoins. Quant au principe du prêt de groupe, son efficacité en matière de taux de remboursement est incontestable, mais il présente de nombreuses limites qui sont fortement sous-estimées.
Dans quelle mesure et a quelles conditions la microfinance contribue effectivement a la lutte con... more Dans quelle mesure et a quelles conditions la microfinance contribue effectivement a la lutte contre la pauvrete? Des recherches menees pendant plusieurs annees dans des regions tres diverses et un travail intensif de collecte des donnees montrent que la microfinance est utile, mais qu'elle permet difficilement de lutter contre la pauvrete et dans certains contextes, elle peut meme contribuer a renforcer certaines formes d'inegalites. La legitimite de la microfinance ne fait aucun doute: dans un contexte de financiarisation croissante, les pauvres plus que quiconque ont besoins de services financiers. En pratique toutefois, les effets sont beaucoup plus limites que ne le clament les discours actuels sur la microfinance, pour deux raisons principales. La premiere est une vision naive, simpliste de l'offre de microfinance, caracterisee par des services encore peu adequats, un nombre croissant d'acteurs non seulement inexperimentes mais dont les motivations sont parfois...
Poor women borrow from multiple sources. This study examines whether the source of debt matters f... more Poor women borrow from multiple sources. This study examines whether the source of debt matters for women’s role in household financial decisions. Drawing on a household survey from rural Tamil Nadu, we categorise women’s loans along the lines of accessibility and formality into ‘planned loans’ and ‘instant loans’. We find that ‘instant loans’ support women’s bargaining power in various types of household financial decisions, whereas ‘planned loans’ have no impact. This surprising result is better understood when the nature of ‘instant loans’ is examined – these are frequently usurious, involve coercive enforcement methods and considered socially debasing. Hence women who use them perform a convenient role for their husbands and in return gain some negotiating power.
Fontes Artis Musicae, 2009
Revue internationale de l'économie sociale: Recma, 2015
Global Labour Journal, 2012
Abstract This paper examines the brick kiln industry in Tamil Nadu as a case study to highlight t... more Abstract This paper examines the brick kiln industry in Tamil Nadu as a case study to highlight the discrepancy between normative categories of decent work and workers' experiences and subjectivities. It highlights the extreme vulnerability of circular migrants ...
This series is published by the Rural Microfinance and Employment project (RUME). The project, RU... more This series is published by the Rural Microfinance and Employment project (RUME). The project, RUME, has been selected in December 2007 by the French National Agency for Research (programme: Les Suds, Aujourd'hui). The main objective of this research is to explore the linkages between rural finance and rural employment -including diversification and migration -with a view to contributing to the ongoing discussions and interventions in the fields of rural development and poverty and vulnerability reduction. The project methodology relies on the following features: a pluridisciplinary approach, a combination of tools for data collection and analysis, a comparative perspective across three countries (Madagascar Mexico, South-India), a strategic collaboration with microfinance institutions. From an outcome perspective, the proposal will seek to achieve a balance between academic and applied results. Further details about the project and its work can be viewed on our web site at
Revue du MAUSS, 2007
| pages 329 à 350 Pour citer cet article : -Fouillet C., Guérin I., Morvant-Roux S., Roesch M. et... more | pages 329 à 350 Pour citer cet article : -Fouillet C., Guérin I., Morvant-Roux S., Roesch M. et Servet J.-M., Le microcrédit au péril du néolibéralisme et de marchands d'illusions. Manifeste pour une inclusion financière socialement responsable, Revue du Mauss 2007/1, n° 29, p. 329-350.
There is now an increasing consensus that the effects of microfinance on selfemployment are limit... more There is now an increasing consensus that the effects of microfinance on selfemployment are limited, with two common interpretations. The microeconomic approach suggests that the poor lack the skills, the resources and the motivation to start their own business. The macroeconomic approach argues that local markets are already saturated. In this paper, we use a political economy approach and first-hand data from rural south-India to explore a third explanation: the social regulations of markets. Drawing on a household survey, we find that the vast majority of households do not engage in entrepreneurial activities, despite taking up microfinance loans. We also find that women and lower castes have a significantly lower chance of starting up a business and when they do so, their businesses are smaller, less profitable and concentrated in very specific sectors. We then use qualitative insights related to the fabric and functioning of local economies to illustrate how caste and gender-based social regulations shape local markets, determining who can produce or sell what, to whom, and to some extent at which price. Our paper shows that the most vulnerable households are in fact the least likely to start up a sustainable income-generating activity.
Revue Tiers Monde, 2007
... Les débats au sein de la mouvance altermondialiste (FRAISSE in LAVILLE, CATTANI, 2007), et ..... more ... Les débats au sein de la mouvance altermondialiste (FRAISSE in LAVILLE, CATTANI, 2007), et ... 29 C'est sans doute la capacité à connecter de nouvelles formes d'auto ... mécanismes de régulation et de redistribution des pouvoirs économiques, sa contribution au renouvellement ...
Revue Tiers Monde, 2009
</titre> Drawing on data collected in South... more </titre> Drawing on data collected in South-India and using a socioeconomic and comprehensive approach, this paper explores the effects of microfinance on pre-existing indebtedness and over-indebtedness. The analysis demonstrates the complexity of causality chains and the diversity of microfinance effects and households trajectories. In a context where households are already highly indebted (mainly to informal finance), substitution does occur, but
World Development, 2011
This series is published by the Rural Microfinance and Employment project (RUME). The project, RU... more This series is published by the Rural Microfinance and Employment project (RUME). The project, RUME, has been selected in December 2007 by the French National Agency for Research (programme: Les Suds, Aujourd'hui). The main objective of this research is to explore the linkages between rural finance and rural employment -including diversification and migration -with a view to contributing to the ongoing discussions and interventions in the fields of rural development and poverty and vulnerability reduction. The project methodology relies on the following features: a pluridisciplinary approach, a combination of tools for data collection and analysis, a comparative perspective across three countries (Madagascar Mexico, South-India), a strategic collaboration with microfinance institutions. From an outcome perspective, the proposal will seek to achieve a balance between academic and applied results. Further details about the project and its work can be viewed on our web site at
Oxford Development Studies, 2013
In the microfinance industry, "empowerment" is often described as a means to facilitate female em... more In the microfinance industry, "empowerment" is often described as a means to facilitate female emancipation from male domination. This paper draws on women's testimonies to highlight the fundamental importance of women's relationships with one another in this process. Women continuously negotiate a position between their kinship groups and neighbours, in a context where dependence on men is considered natural. Micro-credit uses are shaped by, and embody, relationships between women, including power relationships. We recommend revising current understandings of female agency to take into account the complex relationship between agency and power and challenge the conventional polarity of power as domination (power over) and power as agency (power to). In many cases, even where there is solidarity between women, women having agency require or imply domination over other women.
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Papers by Isabelle Guérin