Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T08:35:14.538Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Community Matters: A Study of the Interaction of Microcredit Borrowers in Diyarbakır with the Market Economy?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2015

Tuğçe Bulut
Tuğçe Bulut*
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Trinity Hall, Cambridge, CB2 1TJ, UK, tb318@cam.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper analyzes the processes of integration of the poor into the market, as instigated by their involvement in microfinance projects. This analysis is based on the findings of an ethnographic study of the Turkish Grameen Microcredit Project (TGMP), conducted in Diyarbakır at different time periods between September of 2004 and July of 2005. By analyzing in detail the nature of economic life revolving around the microfinance practices, this paper intends to elucidate the way in which the integration of the microcredit borrowers into the market is guided by societal processes. The findings of the field research show that in everyday practices the borrowers adjust the microfinance system to their own needs and accommodate the economic activities originating in microcredit into their wider social structure. Thus, one can conclude that they are integrated into the market in their own way, guiding the integration process with their own socio-cultural institutions.

Keywords

microfinancepoverty alleviationTurkeymarket integration
Type
Articles
Information
New Perspectives on Turkey , Volume 38: Special Issue on Poverty and Social Exclusion , Spring 2008 , pp. 235 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © New Perspectives on Turkey 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abolafia, Mitchel Y.Making Markets. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997.Google Scholar
Adaman, Fikret. “Study on the Social Protection Systems in the 13 Applicant Countries: Turkey – Country Report.” Berlin: GVG, 2003.Google Scholar
Ayata, Bilgin, and Yükseker, Deniz. “A Belated Awakening: National and International Responses to the Internal Displacement of Kurds in Turkey.” New Perspectives on Turkey, no. 32 (2005): 5–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aytulun, Özge, and Günel, Gökçe. “Microcredit as an Instrument of Extending the Reach of the Market: Reflections from Turkey.” İstanbul: Koc University, 2006.Google Scholar
Berger, Marguerite, and Buvinic, Mayra, eds. Women's Ventures: Assistance to the Informal Sector in Latin America. West Hartford: Kumarian Press, 1989.Google Scholar
Block, Fred. “Political Choice and the Multiple ‘Logics’ of Capital.” In Structures of Capital: The Social Orgnization of the Economy, edited by Zukin, Sharon and DiMaggio, Paul J., 293–310. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.Google Scholar
Buğra, Ayşe, and Keyder, Çağlar. New Poverty and the Changing Welfare Regime in Turkey. Ankara: UNDP, 2003.Google Scholar
Bulut, Tuğçe. “Market Economy in the Service of the Society.” Unpublished M.Phil. Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2005.Google Scholar
Bulut, Tuğçe, and Adaman, Fikret. Diyarbakır’dan İstanbul’a 500 Milyonluk Umut Hikayeleri: Mikrokredi Maceraları, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2007.Google Scholar
Carrier, James G., and Miller, Daniel, eds. Virtualism: A New Political Economy Oxford: Berg, 1998.Google Scholar
Chang, Yun-Shik. “The Personalist Ethic and the Market in Korea.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 33 (1991): 106–129.Google Scholar
Dalgic, Umud K. “International Expert Organizations and Policy Adoption.” Cultural Dynamics 19, no. 1 (2007): 5–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiMaggio, Paul J. “Cultural Aspects of Economic Action and Organization.” In Beyond the Marketplace: Rethinking Economy and Society, edited by Friedland, R. and Robertson, A.F., 113–136. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1990.Google Scholar
DiMaggio, Paul J. “Culture and Economy.” In Handbook of Economic Sociology, edited by Smelser, N. and Swedberg, R., 27–57. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994.Google Scholar
Diyarbakır Ticaret ve Sanayii, Odası “İşsizlik Çığ Gibi Büyüyor.” http://www.evrensel.net/04/10/17/ekono-mi.html.Google Scholar
Ehlers, Tracy B., and Main, Karen. “Women and the False Promise of Microenterprise.” Gender and Society 12, no. 4 (1998): 424–440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elektrik Mühendisleri, Odası “Untitled Document.” http://www.diyarbakir.emo.org.tr/hbrayr.php?habe-rid=58.Google Scholar
Erdoğan, Necmi, ed. Yoksulluk Halleri: Türkiye'de Kent Yoksulluğunun Toplumsal Görünümleri, İstanbul: İletişim, 2007.Google Scholar
Fligstein, Neil. “Markets as Politics: A Political-Cultural Approach to Market Institutions.” American Sociological Review 61 (1996): 656–673.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedland, Roger, and Alford, Robert R.. “Bringing Society Back In: Symbols, Practices and Institutional Considerations.” In The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis, edited by Powell, W.W. and DiMaggio, P.J., 232–263. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.Google Scholar
Giddens, Anthony. The Constitution of Society: Outline of a Theory of Structuration. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.Google Scholar
Gomez, Rafael, and Santor, Eric. “Membership Has Its Privileges: The Effect of Social Capital and Neighbourhood Characteristics on the Earnings of Microfinance Borrowers.” Canadian Journal of Economics 34, no. 4 (2001): 943–966.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Granovetter, Mark. “Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness.” The American Journal of Sociology 91, no. 3 (1985): 481–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulme, David. “Is Microdebt Good for Poor People? A Note on the Dark Side of Microfinance.” Small Enterprise Development 11, no. 1 (2000): 26–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulme, David, and Mosley, Paul. Finance Against Poverty. Vol. 1. London: Routledge, 1996.Google Scholar
Huq, Muzammel, and Sultan, Maheen. “‘Informality’ in Development: The Poor as Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.” In The Silent Revolution: The Informal Sector in Five Asian and Near Eastern Countries, edited by Checkering, A. Lawrence and Salahdine, Mohamed. San Francisco: ICS Press, 1991.Google Scholar
Ito, Sanae. “Microfinance and Social Capital: Does Social Capital Help Create Good Practice?” Development in Practice 13, no. 4 (2003): 322–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kabeer, Naila. “Conflicts over Credit: Re-evaluating the Empowerment Potential of Loans to Women in Rural Bangladesh.” World Development 29, no. 1 (2001): 63–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kabeer, Naila. Reversed Realities: Gender Hierarchies in Development Thought. New York: Verso, 1994.Google Scholar
Karim, Lamia. “Demystifying Micro-credit: The Grameen Bank, NGOs, and Neoliberalism in Bangladesh.” Cultural Dynamics 20, no. 1 (2008): 5–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khandker, Shahidur R.Fighting Poverty with Microcredit: Experience in Bangladesh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.Google Scholar
Khandker, Shahidur R., Khalily, Baqui, and Khan, Zahed H.. “Grameen Bank: Performance and Sustainability.” Washington: World Bank, 1995.Google Scholar
Khandker, Shahidur R., Khan, Zahed, and Khalily, Baqui. “Sustainability of a Government Targeted Credit Program: Evidence from Bangladesh.” Washington: World Bank, 1995.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larance, Lisa Y. “Fostering Social Capital through NGO Design: Grameen Bank Membership in Bangladesh.” International Social Work 44, no. 1 (2001): 7–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Locker, Laura, Nugent, Rachel, and Anderson, C. Leigh. “Microcredit, Social Capital, and Common Pool Resources.” World Development 30, no. 1 (2002): 95–105.Google Scholar
Mayoux, Linda. “Tackling the Downside: Social Capital, Women's Empowerment and Microfinance in Cameroon.” Development and Change 32, no. 3 (2001): 435–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayoux, Linda. “Women's Empowerment and Micro-finance Programmes: Strategies for Increasing Impact.” Development in Practice 8, no. 2 (1998): 235–241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morduch, Jonathan. “The Microfinance Promise.” Journal of Economic Literature 37, no. 4 (1999): 1569–1614.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mosley, Paul. “Microfinance and Poverty in Bolivia.” Journal of Development Studies 37, no. 4 (2001): 101–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Narotzky, Susana. “New Directions in Economic Anthropology.” In Anthropology, Culture and Society, edited by Wilson, Richard and Eriksen, Thomas Hylland. London: Pluto Press, 1997.Google Scholar
Nobelprize.org “The Nobel Peace Prize 2006.” The Nobel Foundation, http://nobelprize.org/nobel_pri-zes/peace/laureates/2006/.Google Scholar
Offe, Claus. Disorganized Capitalism. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1985.Google Scholar
Olejarova, Daniela, Mosley, Paul, and Alexeeva, Elena. “Microfinance, Social Capital Formation and Political Development in Russia and Eastern Europe.” IDS Bulletin 34, no. 4 (2003): 115–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Otero, Maria, and Rhyne, Elisabeth H., eds. The New World of Microenterprise Finance: Building Healthy Financial Institutions for the Poor. London: Intermediate Technology Publications, 1994.Google Scholar
Pitt, Mark M., and Khandker, Shahidur R.. “The Impact of Croup-based Credit Programs on Poor Households in Bangladesh: Does the Gender of Participants Matter?” Journal of Political Economy 106, no. 5 (1998): 958–996.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polanyi, Karl. The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time 2nd edition ed. Boston: Beacon Press, 2001.Google Scholar
Polanyi, Karl. The Livelihood of Man. New York: Academic Press, 1977.Google Scholar
Polanyi, Karl. Primitive, Archaic, and Modern Economies: Essays of Karl Polanyi. Edited by Dalton, George. Graden City: Anchor Books, 1968.Google Scholar
Rahman, Aminur. “Microcredit Initiatives for Equitable and Sustainable Development: Who pays?” World Development 27, no. 1 (1999): 67–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rankin, Katherine N. “Social Capital, Microfinance, and the Politics of Development.” Feminist Economics 8, no. 1 (2002): 1–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rhyne, Elisabeth H.Mainstreaming Microfinance: How Lending to the Poor Began, Grew, and Came of Age in Bolivia. Connecticut: Kumarian Press, 2001.Google Scholar
Robinson, Marguerite S.The Microfinance Revolution: Sustainable Finance for the Poor. Vol. 1. Washington: The World Bank, 2001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogaly, Ben. “Micro-finance Evangelism, ‘Destitute Women’ and the Hard-selling of a New Anti-Poverty Formula.” Development in Practice 6, no. 2 (1996): 100–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schrieder, Gertrud, and Sharma, Manohar. “Impact of Finance on Poverty Reduction and Social Capital Formation: A Review and Synthesis of Empirical Evidence.” Savings and Development 23, no. 1 (1999): 67–93.Google Scholar
Sewell, William H. Jr. “A Theory of Structure: Duality, Agency, and Transformation.” American Journal of Sociology 98, no. 1 (1992): 1–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
State Institute of Statistics “2000 Census of Population: Social and Economic Characteristics of Population.” http://www.die.gov.tr/nuts/81d3.xls.Google Scholar
State Institute of Statistics “2001 Yılı Bölgeler ve iller itibariyle Gayri Safi Yurtiçi Hasıla Sonuçları.” Ankara: SIS, 2003.Google Scholar
State Institute of Statistics “Distribution of Household Incomes by Quintiles Ordered by Income: 2003.” http://www.die.gov.tr/duzeyl/51dl.xls.Google Scholar
TGMP “TGMP Weekly Summary Statement – No. 51.” http://www.israf.org/pdf/Haftalik/2006/Eng-lish/51.pdf.Google Scholar
Thomas, Nicholas. Entangled Objects: Exchange, Material Culture, and Colonialism in the Pacific. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
UNDP “An Evaluation of Poverty Alleviation in Southeast Anatolia Region.” Ankara: UNDP, 2004.Google Scholar
UNDP. “Human Development Report 2006: Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis.” Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.Google Scholar
UNDP. “Human Development Report – Turkey 2004.” Ankara: UNDP, 2004.Google Scholar
Weber, Heloise. “The Imposition of a Global Development Architecture: The Example of Microcredit.” Coventry: Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Régionalisation, University of Warwick, 2001.Google Scholar
Wood, Geoffrey D., and Sharif, Iffath A., eds. Who Needs Credit? Poverty and Finance in Bangladesh. London: Zed Books, 1997.Google Scholar
World Bank “2006 World Development Indicators.” Washington: World Bank, 2006.Google Scholar
Yunus, Muhammad. “Poverty Alleviation: Is Economics Any Help? Lessons from the Grameen Bank Experience.” Journal of International Affairs 52, no. 1 (1998): 47–65.Google Scholar
Zelizer, Viviana A. Rotman. “Beyond the Polemics of the Market: Establishing a Theoretical and Empirical Agenda.” Sociological Forum 3 (1988): 614–634.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zelizer, Viviana A. Rotman. Morals and Markets. New Brunswick: Transaction, 1983.Google Scholar
Zelizer, Viviana A. Rotman. Pricing the Priceless Child: The Changing Social Value of Children. New York: Basic, 1987.Google Scholar
Zukin, Sharon, and DiMaggio, Paul J.. Structures of Capital: The Social Organization of Economic Life. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.Google Scholar