Local Development and Microfinance as Strategies to Challenge Social Needs: A Conceptual and Theoretical Approach [Desarrollo local y microfinanzas como estrategias de atención a las necesidades sociales: un acercamiento teórico conceptual]

Poverty as a public issue encourages further thinking about the responsibility that the State has towards its citizens. This article aims to explore the different theoretical approaches to the notions of local development and microfinance, to establish them as tools to deal with the socioeconomic needs of underprivileged people. In this sense, the hypothesis of this paper considers that local development and microfinance are indeed essential tools to solve social needs, as a source of poverty. In fact, apart from the official banks and informal lenders, microfinance institutions have revolutionized the financing of economic and social development, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Through an analytical review of literature we conclude that rationalization of microfinance is a crucial operational and conceptual stage that must transcend the goal of supporting local development and tackling poverty, as it is the outcome of a complex decision-making process with multidimensional impacts. © 2017 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

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