Editorial
This issue presents four articles that explore important and timely issues for the design and implementation of financial services for the poor and otherwise underserved clients. The articles make clear that despite the strong interest and continued investments in inclusive financial services, we still have a long ways to go in terms of addressing the practical issues that influence outcomes and ultimately impact. Among the questions addressed in these articles are: Do women make risker bets that men in credit repayment? Do investments in client relations, such as capacity building, lead to improved performance for financial service providers? How can financial service providers meet the needs of those who are likely to be excluded from sources of financial services. The papers employ a mix of methods, from project-specific qualitative case studies to national-level representative quantitative studies.- Development impact bonds: learning from the Asháninka cocoa and coffee case in Peru
- Trade-off between outreach and sustainability of microfinance institutions: evidence from sub-Saharan Africa
- Value chain development for rural poverty reduction: A reality check and a warning
- Impact assessment of commodity standards: towards inclusive value chains
- What is cocoa sustainability? Mapping stakeholders’ socio-economic, environmental, and commercial constellations of priorities