CEDS UNPAD

CEDS understands the strategic importance of micro finance research for its potentials in poverty reduction in Indonesia. Last year, under the small research grant (SRG) scheme, CEDS funded a research on the application of impact evaluation to study the welfare effect of the access to various micro finance institutions (MFI). The paper is accepted for presentation at the Third European Research Conference on Microfinance, in Kristiansand, Norway to be held on 10-12 June, 2013.

The CEDS-hosted Global Development Network (GDN) Global Workshop, held in Jakarta on 7-9 April marked the completion of the 5 years GDN global research project on "Strengthening Institutions to Improve Public Sector Accoutability".

Micro finance has been widely recognized to be able to play a greater role in tackling the great challenges in Indonesia's aspiration toward poverty alleviation and reducing inequality. However, Although Indonesia has been a global leader in microfinance outreach and innovation for the past 25 years, access to microfinance services is now declining and nearly 50% of Indonesian households continue to lack effective access to micro credit.