Brigham Young University's Marriott School announces the publication of the first issue of the Journal of Microfinance — the only practitioner and academic journal to deal exclusively with the financing movement that has caught the attention of policy makers, philanthropists and development experts throughout the world.
The Journal of Microfinance, edited by Marriott School professors Gary Woller and Warner Woodworth, is a new forum for sharing ideas, information and research pertaining to the practice of microfinance.
"Warner and I developed the idea for the journal after we attended the June 1998 Microcredit Conference in New York City," Woller said. "We realized that no widely read or recognized forum existed for the dissemination of ideas, experiences and research in the rapidly growing, multi-billion dollar, worldwide microfinance movement."
Although targeted to microfinance practitioners and practitioner organizations, the journal will also be of interest to academics, policy makers, philanthropists and other persons or organizations interested in microfinance, microenterprise development or poverty alleviation.
"We began the journal to fill a void," said Ben Cook, a student editor of the journal. "Microfinance articles are becoming more prevalent in various social science and business journals, but until now there hasn't been a journal solely dedicated to microfinance."
The journal's editorial board includes some of the world's foremost leaders in microfinance and microenterprise development: Muhammad Yunus, founder and director of Grameen Bank; John Hatch, founder of FINCA International and the village banking methodology; Maria Otero, president of ACCION International; Ellen Golden, president of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity; Carmen Velasco, president of Pro Mujer Nicaragua; Kimanthi Mutua, president of the Kenyan Rural Enterprise Program; Kate McKee, head of USAID's Microenterprise Office and Sam Daley-Harris, president of the Microcredit Summit.
Subscribers to the journal can be found in nearly all 50 states and in 20 countries. Among those currently subscribing to the journal are Alan Greenspan, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve; James Wolfensohn, president of World Bank and Hillary Clinton.
The Journal of Microfinance is published semi-annually (spring and fall) and is sold by subscription only for $30 per year. To subscribe, or for more information about the journal, please call (801) 378-6690, send e-mail to info@microjournal.com or go to the journal's website at www.microjournal.com.
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Writer: Peter Carr