Blaming the Poor and Legitimizing Coercive Loan Recovery Strategies: Unveiling the Dark Side of NGO Practices in Bangladesh

Authors

  • H M Ashraf Ali University of Alberta

Keywords:

Bangladesh, loan repayment, microcredit, NGOs, poor, power

Abstract

Using ethnographic data, I examine the contradic
tions prevailing between the claims of microfinance institu
tions' achievement, including the Nobel Peace Prize winner,
Grameen Bank, of near-100 per cent loan repayments and
how these institutions define the causes of poverty in relation
to poor people's ability to repay the loans. I describe how loan
officers use the provision of group liability to implement micro
credit programs, create an unequal development opportunity
and legitimize the coercive actions of repayment enforcement
by blaming the poor. Finally, I conclude the article by summa
rizing the findings.

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Published

2014-04-30

How to Cite

Ali, H. M. A. (2014). Blaming the Poor and Legitimizing Coercive Loan Recovery Strategies: Unveiling the Dark Side of NGO Practices in Bangladesh. Anthropologica, 56(1), 177–191. Retrieved from https://cas-sca.journals.uvic.ca/index.php/anthropologica/article/view/647