Editorial

This issue will focus on the many dimensions of financing development and the challenges that it creates. Bongomin et al. look at the inter-generational issues in the adoption of mobile money platforms and make suggestions on how to make them more accessible to older generations. Manko and Watkins explore the opportunities that microfinance provides for financing clean energy sources for local communities. They found that these can cater for low energy lighting, small scale solar systems, and the like, as well as supporting local traders in providing these services. Gurmessa et al. looked at a credit guarantee scheme for coffee growers in Ethiopia, and found that despite the guarantees being offered, the participating banks were still reluctant to lend to coffee growers. They suggested that more banks be brought in to offer competition, that the loan period be extended, and that the loan guarantee be increased, if a greater uptake among banks is to occur.

Motta and Farias found that women were more likely to be excluded from financial institutions, but that, overall, women were more likely to actively participate when they were included. As expected, age and education were important factors for participation of both men and women.

In South Africa, Modiba and Mago found that informal businesses remain quite vulnerable as there is little support available for them and women in the sector are especially vulnerable. Given the sheer size of the sector, that suggests a more comprehensive policy approach by government to ensure inclusive policies and support, if available, to the informal sector. In Bangladesh, Mahmud et al. found that microfinance to fish farmers did not improve food security in the household, but rather, the high costs of loans and weekly repayments acted as a disincentive for further investments and led to debt traps, which also affected their food security. The lack of training and supportive infrastructure were the main issues fish farmers faced to overcome these credit constraints.

Harris and Lawson's practice note, for an Ethiopian case, found that the vexed issue of answering value for money (VfM) questions posed by donors can be covered with a three-step methodology: put simply, an analysis of spending processes and patterns, an analysis of outputs and outcomes, and finally, bringing these two analyses together. This is not only useful in answering the VfM questions, but also in revealing data gaps and training opportunities for local staff. Das, Kamruzzaman, and Ahmed found, in Bangladesh, that a livestock transfer programme to poor women, together with other support, was very effective and resulted in a doubling of income from livestock improved savings and nutrition.

The issue concludes by moving away from development finance in an article by Trotta, Wilkinson, and Marshall, with an extensive literature review on COVID and overlapping vulnerabilities, for those affected by mental health, gender-based violence, and other vulnerabilities. They found that religion and religious institutions play a very important part in managing these vulnerabilities arising from COVID in the Global South. Finally, I briefly review Peter Britton's recent book Everything and Nothing.