Beverly Lemire Professor of History and University Research Professor,University of New Brunswick, Canada Ruth Pearson Professor of Development Studies, University of Leeds Gail Campbell Professor of History, University of New Brunswick

'The bulk of the book's 17 contributions consist of concise, self-contained case studies - all of which seem to bear the hallmark of judicious editorial work ... Among the most informative and engaging of these is Jayshree Vyas's fascinating account of the evolution of women's banking in India's Self-Employed Women's Association ... Ruth Pearson's concluding chapter offers some perceptive and refreshingly original observations culled from syntheseis of the case studies in the volume as a whole ... Women and Credit should definitely have a place as recommended reading on more general gender courses.' (Sylvia Chant, London School of Economics) 'Women in Credit is a substantial addition to our knowledge of the role of women in exploiting economic opportuntites and niches through the use of credit agencies and other initiatives... [The book] covers a wide area in the fields of credit and microfinance. It explains why projects that provide credit suceed and gives reasons

• Part I Exploring the Western History of Women and Credit 1 Introduction. Women, Credit and the Creation of Opportunity: A Historical Overview 2 Women's Economic Spheres and Credit in Pre-industrial Europe 3 Petty Debts and Family Networks: The Credit Markets of Widows and Wives in Eighteenth-Century Amsterdam 4 Lending Women, Borrowing Women: Middle-Class Women, Investments and Credit in Northern France in the Nineteenth Century Part II Bridging Past and Present 5 Women and Micro-credit in History: Gender in the Irish Loan Funds 6 Stokvels and Economic Empowerment: The Case of African Women in South Africa, c .1930-1998 Part III Pioneering Projects 7 Women, Institutional Roles and Economic Opportunity 8 A Personal Perspective on the Evolution of Micro-credit in the Late Twentieth Century 9 Banking with Poor Self-employed Women 10 Micro-credit as a Path from Welfare to Work: The Experience of the Full Circle Project, UK Part IV Impacts and Issues 11 Credit Options, Human Resource Development and the Sustainability of Women's Projects: Case Study of the 'Association of Creative Teaching - Women in Development Projects' in the South-West Province, Cameroon 12 Negotiating Financial Autonomy: Women, Income and Credit in Urban Java 13 Poor Female Youth and Human Capital Development in Bangladesh: What Role for Micro-Credit Programmes? Part V Policy Perspectives 14 Women's Empowerment Versus Sustainability? Towards a New Paradigm in Micro-finance Programmes 15 Linking Formal and Informal Financial Intermediaries in Ghana: A Way To Increase Women's Access to Financial Services? 16 Financial Arrangements Across Borders: Women's Predominant Participation in Popular Finance, from Thilogne and Dakar to Paris. A Senegalese Case Study, Continuity and Change: Towards a Conclusion

Beverly Lemire Professor of History and University Research Professor,University of New Brunswick, Canada Ruth Pearson Professor of Development Studies, University of Leeds Gail Campbell Professor of History, University of New Brunswick

'The bulk of the book's 17 contributions consist of concise, self-contained case studies - all of which seem to bear the hallmark of judicious editorial work ... Among the most informative and engaging of these is Jayshree Vyas's fascinating account of the evolution of women's banking in India's Self-Employed Women's Association ... Ruth Pearson's concluding chapter offers some perceptive and refreshingly original observations culled from syntheseis of the case studies in the volume as a whole ... Women and Credit should definitely have a place as recommended reading on more general gender courses.' (Sylvia Chant, London School of Economics) 'Women in Credit is a substantial addition to our knowledge of the role of women in exploiting economic opportuntites and niches through the use of credit agencies and other initiatives... [The book] covers a wide area in the fields of credit and microfinance. It explains why projects that provide credit suceed and gives reasons

• Part I Exploring the Western History of Women and Credit 1 Introduction. Women, Credit and the Creation of Opportunity: A Historical Overview 2 Women's Economic Spheres and Credit in Pre-industrial Europe 3 Petty Debts and Family Networks: The Credit Markets of Widows and Wives in Eighteenth-Century Amsterdam 4 Lending Women, Borrowing Women: Middle-Class Women, Investments and Credit in Northern France in the Nineteenth Century Part II Bridging Past and Present 5 Women and Micro-credit in History: Gender in the Irish Loan Funds 6 Stokvels and Economic Empowerment: The Case of African Women in South Africa, c .1930-1998 Part III Pioneering Projects 7 Women, Institutional Roles and Economic Opportunity 8 A Personal Perspective on the Evolution of Micro-credit in the Late Twentieth Century 9 Banking with Poor Self-employed Women 10 Micro-credit as a Path from Welfare to Work: The Experience of the Full Circle Project, UK Part IV Impacts and Issues 11 Credit Options, Human Resource Development and the Sustainability of Women's Projects: Case Study of the 'Association of Creative Teaching - Women in Development Projects' in the South-West Province, Cameroon 12 Negotiating Financial Autonomy: Women, Income and Credit in Urban Java 13 Poor Female Youth and Human Capital Development in Bangladesh: What Role for Micro-Credit Programmes? Part V Policy Perspectives 14 Women's Empowerment Versus Sustainability? Towards a New Paradigm in Micro-finance Programmes 15 Linking Formal and Informal Financial Intermediaries in Ghana: A Way To Increase Women's Access to Financial Services? 16 Financial Arrangements Across Borders: Women's Predominant Participation in Popular Finance, from Thilogne and Dakar to Paris. A Senegalese Case Study, Continuity and Change: Towards a Conclusion

Beverly Lemire Professor of History and University Research Professor,University of New Brunswick, Canada Ruth Pearson Professor of Development Studies, University of Leeds Gail Campbell Professor of History, University of New Brunswick

'The bulk of the book's 17 contributions consist of concise, self-contained case studies - all of which seem to bear the hallmark of judicious editorial work ... Among the most informative and engaging of these is Jayshree Vyas's fascinating account of the evolution of women's banking in India's Self-Employed Women's Association ... Ruth Pearson's concluding chapter offers some perceptive and refreshingly original observations culled from syntheseis of the case studies in the volume as a whole ... Women and Credit should definitely have a place as recommended reading on more general gender courses.' (Sylvia Chant, London School of Economics) 'Women in Credit is a substantial addition to our knowledge of the role of women in exploiting economic opportuntites and niches through the use of credit agencies and other initiatives... [The book] covers a wide area in the fields of credit and microfinance. It explains why projects that provide credit suceed and gives reasons

• Part I Exploring the Western History of Women and Credit 1 Introduction. Women, Credit and the Creation of Opportunity: A Historical Overview 2 Women's Economic Spheres and Credit in Pre-industrial Europe 3 Petty Debts and Family Networks: The Credit Markets of Widows and Wives in Eighteenth-Century Amsterdam 4 Lending Women, Borrowing Women: Middle-Class Women, Investments and Credit in Northern France in the Nineteenth Century Part II Bridging Past and Present 5 Women and Micro-credit in History: Gender in the Irish Loan Funds 6 Stokvels and Economic Empowerment: The Case of African Women in South Africa, c .1930-1998 Part III Pioneering Projects 7 Women, Institutional Roles and Economic Opportunity 8 A Personal Perspective on the Evolution of Micro-credit in the Late Twentieth Century 9 Banking with Poor Self-employed Women 10 Micro-credit as a Path from Welfare to Work: The Experience of the Full Circle Project, UK Part IV Impacts and Issues 11 Credit Options, Human Resource Development and the Sustainability of Women's Projects: Case Study of the 'Association of Creative Teaching - Women in Development Projects' in the South-West Province, Cameroon 12 Negotiating Financial Autonomy: Women, Income and Credit in Urban Java 13 Poor Female Youth and Human Capital Development in Bangladesh: What Role for Micro-Credit Programmes? Part V Policy Perspectives 14 Women's Empowerment Versus Sustainability? Towards a New Paradigm in Micro-finance Programmes 15 Linking Formal and Informal Financial Intermediaries in Ghana: A Way To Increase Women's Access to Financial Services? 16 Financial Arrangements Across Borders: Women's Predominant Participation in Popular Finance, from Thilogne and Dakar to Paris. A Senegalese Case Study, Continuity and Change: Towards a Conclusion