Authors
Craig McIntosh, Bruce Wydick
Publication date
2005/12/1
Journal
Journal of development economics
Volume
78
Issue
2
Pages
271-298
Publisher
North-Holland
Description
Competition between microfinance institutions (MFIs) in developing countries has increased dramatically in the last decade. We model the behavior of non-profit lenders, and show that their non-standard, client-maximizing objectives cause them to cross-subsidize within their pool of borrowers. Thus when competition eliminates rents on profitable borrowers, it is likely to yield a new equilibrium in which poor borrowers are worse off. As competition exacerbates asymmetric information problems over borrower indebtedness, the most impatient borrowers begin to obtain multiple loans, creating a negative externality that leads to less favorable equilibrium loan contracts for all borrowers.
Total citations
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Scholar articles
C McIntosh, B Wydick - Journal of development economics, 2005