Being the chronic cynic that I am, I've always considered attempts to use grassroots remedies for gaping economic or political maladies quixotic at best and miserably misguided at worst. Nonetheless, To Our Credit, an excellent two part introduction to the concept and practice of micro-credit and micro-entrepreneurship, may have made me something of a believer. Both parts of this set effectively bring home the fact that traditional trickle-down solutions to underdevelopment and poverty have largely failed to stop the staggering rise in world unemployment, hunger and economic despair. Micro-credit--the granting of tiny loans to individuals or groups to allow them to develop their own means of employment--offers an alternative development strategy with a promising track record, both in developing nations, and domestically. Part I looks at specific cases of successful micro-credit programs in Bangladesh, South Africa, Bolivia, and India, offering a clear and useful discussion of the diverse, non-mainstream grassroots funding agencies--such as Self-Employment Women's Association (Ahmehabad, India)--that have underwritten these successful programs. Part II of the set similarly examines successful bootstrap banking programs in the United States, such as Working Capital (New England) and The Good Faith Fund (Arkansas). Included in this discussion is a look at the unique relationship of these funding agencies to both their clients and to larger banks and investment organizations, as well as an overview of their various strategies for solvency and growth. The real power of these engaging, well-produced videos, however, lies in their close focus on individuals, as much as on broad economic concepts and institutions. These are stories of individuals--particularly marginalized women--whose lives have been reclaimed and empowered by grassroots economic miracles. Highly recommended for women's studies, development studies, or business collections. Aud: H, C, P. (G. Handman)
To Our Credit
(1998) 2 videocassettes. 55 min. each. $195 each ($345 for both). Access to Credit Media Project. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 14, Issue 5
To Our Credit
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