Inspired Finance [electronic resource] : The Role of Faith in Microfinance and International Economic Development /
Looft, M.author.
By tracing an arc of thought and action from both historical and religious figures up through modern microfinance practitioners, Looft illustrates the many ways religious inspiration continues to remain at the crux of international economic development-while raising compelling questions around God and Mammon working together to help the poor.
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Contents; List of Figures; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 Charity Revisited; Loving one's neighbor; Aristotle and generosity; Giving for human flourishing; 2 Financial Services for Poverty Alleviation; Cooperatives, credit unions, and Catholicism; The poor and their money; Saving up; Saving down; Saving through; Origins of modern microcredit; Microfinance: beyond microcredit; 3 Protestant Influences; The Protestant Ethic revisited; Self-reliance and the limits of the American dream; Individualism vs. the power of groups and social connections
Case study: Mormon engagement in microfinanceMicrofinance and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Mormon entrepreneurship redefined; 4 Theology and Development; Religion, gender, and culture; Caste embeddedness; The Prosperity Gospel and traditional African religions; Scholarship and traditional African religions; Traditional perspectives on wealth; Wealth, religion, and morality; The need for new leadership; Case study: the Iranian bonyads; History of the charitable foundations; No longer the Shah's foundations; Occasional brief glimmers of hope
Thwarting another revolution through transparency5 Usury; Judaism; Christianity; Islam; Murabaha (reselling an asset); Musharaka (joint venture); Mudaraba (limited liability partnership); Qard Hassan (free loan); Navigating Muslim religion and culture; 6 Inspired Microfinance; Center for Community Transformation (Manila, Philippines); Kaibigan Ministry; Education; Social security and health; Yayasan Sosial Bina Sejahtera (Cilacap, Indonesia); Education; Microfinance; Asasah (Lahore, Pakistan); Agro Capital Management (Simferopol, Ukraine); 7 Can God and Mammon Work Together?
The role of faithPhoto Section; Bibliography; Index
Includes bibliographical references and index.
By tracing an arc of thought and action from both historical and religious figures up through modern microfinance practitioners, Looft illustrates the many ways religious inspiration continues to remain at the crux of international economic development-while raising compelling questions around God and Mammon working together to help the poor.
Religion and sociology.
Microeconomics.
Religion and Society.
Sociology of Religion.
Microeconomics.