| Abstract: | Microfinance has become an increasingly widespread tool for fostering economic growth among the poor in developing countries. This study tracks the progress of 239 borrowers in a Guatemalan microfinance institution from 1994 to 1999. Results from the study show that rapid gains in employment within the sample enterprises after initial credit access were followed by a protracted period of stagnation in employment growth. Other results highlight gender differences in response to credit access, showing — surprisingly — that the long–run growth in hired labour for female entrepreneurs was slightly greater than that for male entrepreneurs. |
