San Antonio College Library

"This survey of microfinance seeks to bridge the gap in the exisiting literature on microfinance between academic economists and practitioners." "The authors move beyond the usual theoretical focus in the microfinance literature and draw on new developments in theories of contracts and incentives. They challenge conventional assumptions about how poor households save and build assets and how institutions can overcome market failures. The book provides...

"Bangladeshi villagers sharing cell phones helped build what is now a thriving company with more than $200 million in annual profits. But what is the lesson for the rest of the world? This is a question author Nicholas P. Sullivan addresses in his tale of a new kind of entrepreneur, Iqbal Quadir, the visionary and catalyst behind the creation of GrameenPhone in Bangladesh."--Jacket.

"Harvard economist Richard B. Freeman argues that it is now time to stop analyzing the causes and consequences of inequality and concentrate on doing something about it. He also offers real solutions: Raise the income of the working class, reinvest in cities, and reenergize democratic institutions through the encouragement of local citizen organizations." "Responding essays by distinguished scholars and activists - James Tobin, Heidi Hartmann, Michael...

Compares welfare leaver outcomes across geographic areas and the nation as a whole. Proposes ways to enhance income support programme that would help welfare leavers economically and encourage them to stay in the workforce.

Today more than eight million Americans live in neighborhoods of extreme economic deprivation, social isolation, and often terrifying violence. The number of ghettos, barrios, and slums in the United States has more than doubled since 1970, and the proportion of the poor who live in them has risen dramatically. Policymakers and the public alike are increasingly concerned about the emergence of an "underclass" population in these blighted neighborhoods....

Comprises ten papers. Analyses the effectiveness of various performance-based systems aiming to improve schools' academic achievement. Discusses, for example, a rewards and penalties system, as well as an administrative mechanism (voucher system) to give parents some freedom of choice in selecting schools for their children. Considers other factors leading to better educational results, particularly among disadvantaged pupils.

"As the twenty-first century begins, the overwhelming majority of children in the United States are raised in households in which both parents work. Yet decent, affordable child-care is available to only a fraction of these families. As the population ages, one in four American families cares for elderly relatives, a responsibility that adult children shoulder with little or no help. Other families who must care for disabled adult members receive...

"Bill Clinton's first presidential term was a period of extraordinary change in policy toward low-income families. In 1993 Congress enacted a major expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families. In 1996 Congress passed and the president signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. This legislation abolished the sixty-year-old Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and replaced...

Examines the position of women in the U.S. economy and analyses patterns of poverty in relation to different types of families. Discusses why women fare worse than men in employment and earnings and highlights the ineffectiveness of U.S. policies and welfare reform programmes in eliminating poverty. Puts forward alternative welfare reform proposals and suggests measures aimed at establishing women's economic equality.