Faith-Based Organizations and Microfinance : A Literature Review

The development institutions have been categorized as Faith-based and Mainstream based on their background and characteristics. This paper reviews the extant literature on Faith-based organizations (FBOs) and their role in various areas of development specially poverty alleviation. This paper reviews the studies dealing with faith-based organizations, their characteristics and their role in development. Some papers specifically deal with the religious principles that shape the value system in these organizations. A number of empirical studies both qualitative and quantitative provide insights on the working and performance of FBOs. This review paper will be useful for the researchers involved in the areas of social science, anthropology as well as economics. The role of FBOs in microfinance will be of interest to policy makers who are looking for alternate models to achieve the goals of financial inclusion and poverty alleviation