This study uses a unique, hand-collected sample of microfinance institutions from 73 developing countries to analyze the relationships between audit quality and governance mechanisms. We examine two measures of audit quality, namely, the use of Big Four auditors and the presence of internal...

Type of paper :Exploratory, descriptive, case studyObjectives: In the wake of the global crisis, the role of the financial markets is being questioned and new forms of social innovations focusing on stakeholder governance and cooperation are being experimented. This paper looks into one such...

How do microfinance institutions (MFIs) allocate their productivity surplus to stakeholders? This paper shows that this allocation process varies according to the MFI ownership structure. Non-profit organisations and shareholders-held MFIs exhibit a tendency to largely keep their surplus within...

This article shows how today’s West African microfinance cooperatives could learn from the experience of 19th century German financial cooperatives (FCs) to address their members’ need for long-term loans, especially in rural areas. FCs have short-term internal resources, consisting mainly...

What are the drivers of productivity surplus distribution to microfinance stakeholders? This paper shows that the size of the institution is the main indicator that can explain the gain in productivity surplus but also the surplus given to clients (decrease of interest rates) and staff....