In recent years, development practice has seen that microfinance institutions (MFIs) are starting to consider their environmental bottom line in addition to their financial and social objectives. Yet, little is known about the characteristics of institutions involved in environmental management....

Microfinance (MF) has grown over the last two decades into an important sub-field of development studies. This special issue of <italic>Oxford Development Studies</italic> explores the contributions of MF, drawing particularly on research conducted in India. After a brief overview of the emergence of MF as a...

The issue of surplus distribution has hardly been analyzed in the context of the social economy. This paper highlights the main drivers of distribution between various stakeholders of microfinance institutions (MFIs), which are an example of social enterprises. We focus on three major variables:...

Purpose – The paper aims to study the role of norms and values in the microfinance sector. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a combination of narrative with argument and analysis. Findings – A classification of the sector is proposed, mapping the institutions along two axes:...