Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/193603
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- Title
- Relative efficiency of alternative microfinance-driven poverty alleviation programs in Bangladesh
- Related
- Australasian Digital Theses
- Publisher
- Australia : Macquarie University
- Date
- 2011
- Author/Creator
- Chowdhury, Tamgid Ahmed
- Description
- Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Faculty of Business and Economics, Dept. of Economics, 2011.
- Description
- Bibliography: p. 241-265.
- Description
- Introduction -- Poverty and well-being: concepts, determinants and measurement -- Role of institutions and need for efficient service delivery in poverty reduction -- Methodology: development of questionnaire and data collection -- Government and NGO projects compared using multidimensional service delivery efficiency scale -- Gender variation in the perceptions of the beneficiaries towards service delivery efficiency of government and NGOs -- Benchmarking service delivery dimensions of the poverty reduction programs in rural Bangladesh -- Assessment of multidimensional poverty and efficiency of government and NGOs in rural Bangladesh -- Summary conclusion, policy prescription and further research.
- Description
- In general, the efficiency of microfinance-driven poverty-alleviation programs run by Government (GO) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in developing countries such as Bangladesh is assessed by repayment rate, number of beneficiaries, area coverage, amount of loans disbursed, cost of operation, profitability and the financial sustainability of the projects. This thesis argues that these methods are quite restrictive since none of them reflect the perceptions of poor people concerning the efficiency of the projects. The development agencies (such as GOs and NGOs) have never been compared on the basis of service delivery efficiency [a processed based comparison], nor on their relative contribution to raising the living standards of the poor [an outcome based comparison]; both of which are crucial for poverty reduction. The main reason behind the absence of such comparisons is the unavailability of the appropriate parameters that could be used for such a comparison. -- For the process-based comparison this thesis develops and validates a two dimensional multi-item scale through construct, convergent, discriminant and nomological validity. The scale captures different aspects of efficiency in the delivery of services. These aspects are termed the 'credibility dimension' and the 'focus towards beneficiaries dimension' of the service delivery in poverty-alleviation programs. For the output-based comparison, this thesis also develops and validates a 'multidimensional poverty model' to compare the efficiency of GOs and NGOs in contributing to the economic, social, political and cultural elements in the lives of the poor. The methodology is based on 930 samples collected from 12 districts and 107 randomly chosen villages in Bangladesh during September-December 2009. -- The results from utilizing the scale items for comparative study show that in many important dimensions of service delivery, the performance of GOs is more efficient than that of NGOs. Gender discrimination also is evident in poverty-alleviation programs in Bangladesh. This study reveals that female beneficiaries are disadvantaged not only due to cultural or religious customs, but also because they receive less attention from the managers and field staff of both GOs and NGOs. -- The poverty model shows that as a whole GO agencies are more efficient in improving the welfare of poor beneficiaries compared to NGOs. While the comparative study shows that government agencies are more efficient in improving the economic wellbeing of the poor, NGOs are better at improving the social aspects of their lives.
- Description
- Mode of access: World Wide Web.
- Description
- 1 online resource (xiv, 265 p.) ill., col. maps
- Subject Keyword
- Microfinance -- Bangladesh
- Subject Keyword
- Rural credit -- Bangladesh
- Subject Keyword
- Poor -- Bangladesh
- Subject Keyword
- Poverty -- Bangladesh
- Subject Keyword
- Bangladesh -- Social conditions
- Subject Keyword
- Bangladesh -- Economic conditions
- Subject Keyword
- poverty
- Subject Keyword
- microcredit
- Subject Keyword
- government
- Subject Keyword
- NGO
- Subject Keyword
- Bangladesh
- Resource Type
- Thesis PhD
- Organisation
- Macquarie University. Dept. of Economics
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/193603
- Identifier
- 1736732
- Language
- eng
- Rights
- Copyright disclaimer: http://www.copyright.mq.edu.au
- Rights
- Copyright Tamgid Ahmed Chowdhury 2011.
- Full Text
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