Paradise Beneath Her Feet and Women the State, and Political Liberalization

The book, Microfinance and its Discontent: Women in Debt in Bangladesh written by Lamia Karim, gives us account on what causes a culture to be known as “economy of shame” status, such as in the case of Bangladesh. She writes on a subject that is a top list priority in the economical world these days, the corrupt ways NGO’s lenders do business not only in Bangladesh but across the world, however, she centralizes her views on Bangladesh and only a handful of NGO’s. Even though this was primarily a look at Bangladesh, it has resulted in capturing the attention of people across the globe not only with the NGO’s mention in the book but resulting in a closer look at all NGO’s and how they serve the people. Karim shares with the readers how the 1980’s nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) led in the way of microfinance institutions and claimed that they were providing women with an empowerment tool by issuing them loans. We find that over 80% of borrows are women and most are economically challenged already. With that being stated Karim also takes a look at how and why that is, she discusses the long term effects it is having on women and how it is furthering the exploitation of women in Bangladesh. She looked at how this type of exploitation has not only weakened further women’s economy in Bangladesh but has also strengthen the power NGO’s have over the people (mainly women) at the same time. It takes a look at this type of expansion and brands NGO’s use as a “shadow state

    Women in developing countries take out loans to start businesses and make money. Women struggling to make money take out these loans start a business to make money and pay off the debt from taking the loan. They are able to further support their family along with themselves as the debt is paid off and the business makes more money. Individuals living in poverty filled communities rely on informal employment to make money. Micro-credits have been directed more towards women because they invest money in goods and services. They do not need to depend on their husband for money when they have their own business to make money. When women take out loans to start their businesses they get stronger and get independence from their husband. When women invest in good and give services they help their family and themselves in an effective way. This could benefit women in poverty towards coming out of poverty.

This academic journal is relevant because Lindsay Markle discusses the challenges women in the Middle East confront daily due to gender norms that are embedded in culture, religion, and family structure. These gender norms influence the way women are able to participate in their economy and in the public sphere.

Historically, “Women and Gender in Islam” discusses the social, political, legal, and religious discourses and structures that have shaped the experience of Muslim women

For Victoria’s case, she needs the money to buy more potatoes and quinoa to make sure her shop has all the proper vegetables (Kiva.org). If Victoria can keep her shop well stocked, she may attract more customers and make more money. By earning more money, Victoria can improve her quality of life. According to Plan Canada “microfinancing can lead to improved access to clean water and better sanitation while also providing better access to health care” (plancanada.ca). Research shows that microfinance loans are better suited for women because they are less likely to miss payments on their loan and it helps them feel empowered (plancanada.ca). By lending to Victoria, she will feel empowered and will be able to support herself and her family. Also, because she is a woman, she is less likely to miss

In Banker to the Poor, Muhammad Yunus discusses the power of micro-lending in the struggle to end world poverty. He created a bank called Grameen, which is dedicated to lifting families from poverty and providing them with the means necessary to become contributing members of society. Grameen Bank began as a simple project to help poor members of a small village in Bangladesh. Eventually though, it expanded to across more than one-hundred countries in five continents. It has helped millions of the world's’ poorest people overcome their struggle with poverty.

he second article being looked at is ‘Muslim Women’s Quest for Equality: Between Islamic Law and Feminism’ by author Ziba Mir-Hosseini. This article looks at the plight of women in both the Middle East and Southwest Asia and looks the the distinction between sharia law and fiqh. Mir-Hosseini argues that Muslim women will be treated as second class citizens as long as patriarchy is justified and upheld in the name of Islam (pg.629). Both the invasion of Iran and Afghanistan were justified on the basis that Muslims were in need of “freedom” and “democracy”. By doing this is has brought upon many internal and external struggles. Muslims in these countries see the “neo imperialist intervention as a direct assault on their religion” (pg. 631). Further giving more reason to legitimize the power of radical Islamists such as Al-Qaeda.

In this article Muhammad Yunus is in a poor village where he sees real poverty for the first time. Yunus later finds himself giving some of village people loans. With his help the poor small village was out of poverty.

In the year 1911, a very well-known British novelist, poet, and playwright was born. His name was William Golding. Son of Alec Golding and Mildred Golding. Marlborough Grammar School was where William studied until he went to college. William published his first novel “Poems” in 1934 a year before he graduated. He graduated from Oxford in 1935, that day he received his B.A honors in English Literature. Golding got married to Ann Brookfield an Analytical Chemist in 1939. A year after their marriage their first child was born, named David Golding. His novel “Lord of the Flies” was published in 1954, which turned out to be the one that he became best known for. “Lord of the Flies” details the adventures British school boys had while they were

The women of the Middle East are very interesting to look in to. They are not just another person or treated by the same standards like they are treated here in the United States. There is a lot of controversy and fighting for women’s rights throughout the Middle East. They have an extreme lack of power there and they are fighting to change that. It is not right that women are such inferior people over there because they are no different than any other female in this world. Sexism plays a big role in the Middle East and the women are getting sick of putting up with this treatment. This is a big part of what I will be looking into in the research paper: “What kind

What is microlending? In simplest terms microlending is the lending of very small amounts of money at low interest, to low income people in urban and rural areas. It started forty years ago, when a person named Muhammad Yunus was visiting his family and his country Bangladesh which had recently become an independent country. Muhammad Yunus had left his home country then –East Bengal- when he was a child with his parents in search of a better future. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, with a PhD in economics. Muhammad Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank, the first non-profit organization to offer microfinance services in Bangladesh and in the world (New York Times). This bank showed the world on how little

In both developing and emerging economies, microfinance has vastly and increasingly been seen as one of the most important means for enhancing the lives of the poor and therefore a major tool for economic and social development mostly in rural areas. Lately, contrary to this widespread belief, critics have raised eyebrows against this growing popularity of microfinance as a major tool for enhancing economic development. Contrary to belief, they are of the opinion that microfinance is a ‘make-belief’ that is hindering economic and social development rather than enhancing it.

Social Entrepreneurship: By Social Entrepreneurship we mean attracting growing volumes of aptitude, fame, money, and responsiveness. But along with its cumulative attractiveness has come less confidence regarding what accurately a social entrepreneur is and does. Consequently, all classes of actions are now being entitled as social entrepreneurship. Many claim that a rigorous comprehensive term is all for the good, but others might disagree that it’s high time for a more demanding definition and unambiguity. Dr. Mohammad Yunus is one of the most recognized social entrepreneur of this era. In fact he has played a very significant role in shaping and defining the term of social entrepreneurship. He has gained worldwide fame his microcredit and micro finance theory.

To cite the saying that social entrepreneurship is the best way to help people in need, we would like to provide an outstanding example of social enterprise which is Grameen Bank. Grameen Bank was officially founded in 1983 by Muhammad Yunus and it provides small loans, rather than charity, to the poorest of the poor especially women in Bangladesh. This indeed provides an opportunity for the people to transform their lives. In 2006, Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social

Building Social Business is a book about social enterprise written by Muhammad Yunus. Muhammad Yunus is a social entrepreneur, economist, banker, and civil servant leader from Bangladesh. He is known for founding the Grameen Bank which is a microfinance organization and community development bank. Yunus is a well-known proponent of microfinance and microcredit. Due to his efforts in making a change through microfinance and microcredit and other noble causes, Yunus has been given several awards including the Independence Day Award in 1987, World Food Price in 1994, Pfeffer Peace Price also in 1994, Gandhi Peace Price in 2000, Volvo Environment Prize in 2003, Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, Congressional