On the negative relation between investment-cash flow sensitivities and cash-cash flow.

We predict and find empirical support for a negative relation between the firm’s investment-cash flow sensitivity and cash-cash flow sensitivity, two measures suggested to capture the concept of financing constraints. This negative relation on the firm-level stems from the fact that both investments and the cash account are uses of funds competing for limited available cash flows. Additionally, we find that the investment-cash flow sensitivity is a better predictor for the firm’s constraint-status than the cash-cash flow sensitivity for a longitudinal sample of 1,233 U.S.-based listed firms using an evaluative framework based upon ex-post evaluation of the firmvarying sensitivities.financing constraints; investment-cash flow sensitivities; cash-cash flow sensitivities; firm-varying sensitivities;

On a more positive note. Column for ClearXperts magazine

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The effects of religion on development efforts : evidence from the microfinance industry and a research agenda

This study responds to the need for more empirical knowledge pertaining to the effect of religion on development efforts. We use data from the microfinance industry to study performance differences between Christian and secular Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). We find that Christian MFIs have significantly lower funding costs and consistently underperform in terms of financial profit indicators. Contrary to our hypotheses Christian MFIs are as efficient in assuring loan repayment and their average loan sizes are on par with those of their secular peers

Women and repayment in microfinance: A global analysis

This paper uses a global data set of 350 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in 70 countries to study the common belief that women are generally better credit risks in microfinance than men. The results confirm that a higher percentage of female clients in MFIs is associated with lower portfolio risk, fewer write-offs, and fewer provisions, all else being equal. Interaction effects reveal that, while focus on women is generally associated with enhanced repayment, this trend is stronger for nongovernmental organizations, individual-based lenders, and regulated MFIs

Gender bias in microfinance

We provide empirical evidence on focusing on women in microfinance and its consequences for microfinance institutions (MFIs). Based on a global dataset, the results indicate that a focus on women is associated with group-lending methods, international orientation, smaller loans, and non-commercial legal status. We find that a focus on women significantly improves repayment but does not enhance overall financial performance because of higher relative costs. Moreover, the higher relative costs do not stem from servicing women per se but from the smaller loans offered to women and the group-lending methodology practised by MFIs focusing on wome

Does the investment opportunities bias affect the investment-cash flow sensitivities of unlisted SMEs?

Using a panel of 5,999 small and medium-sized Belgian enterprises (SMEs) over the period 2000-2004, we identify three measures of investment opportunities suitable for unlisted firms. We then estimate firm-varying investment-cash flow sensitivities (ICFS) from reduced-form investment equations that include these measures, and compare them with those derived from a model that does not control for investment opportunities. We find that all our models yield similar ICFS estimates, which are significantly related to a wide set of proxies for financing constraints. These findings suggest that the ICFS of SMEs do not simply reflect investment opportunities. The investment opportunities bias may therefore have been overstated in previous literature.nrpages: 35status: publishe

Do microfinance institutions accomplish their mission? Evidence from the relationship between traditional financial sector development and microfinance institutions' outreach and performance

This article analyses the relationship between outreach and performance of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) on the one hand and traditional financial sector development on the other. The results indicate that MFIs reach more clients and are more profitable in countries where access to the traditional financial system is low. This finding is in line with the market-failure hypothesis: MFIs respond to a need that banks do not fulfill and MFIs flourish where the formal financial sector fails. Along the same line, the results demonstrate that MFIs serve poorer people in countries with well-developed financial systems. The results suggest that in countries with well-developed financial systems, the two sectors stand in more direct competition with each other. This competition pushes MFIs down the market and makes mission drift by MFIs less likely.status: publishe

Do microfinance institutions accomplish their mission? Evidence from the relationship between traditional financial sector development and microfinance institutions’ outreach and performance

This article analyses the relationship between outreach and performance of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) on the one hand and traditional financial sector development on the other. The results indicate that MFIs reach more clients and are more profitable in countries where access to the traditional financial system is low. This finding is in line with the market-failure hypothesis: MFIs respond to a need that banks do not fulfill and MFIs flourish where the formal financial sector fails. Along the same line, the results demonstrate that MFIs serve poorer people in countries with well-developed financial systems. The results suggest that in countries with well-developed financial systems, the two sectors stand in more direct competition with each other. This competition pushes MFIs down the market and makes mission drift by MFIs less likely. © 2012 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe