STATEMENT OF PROPOSED STUDY OR RESEARCH
Emily Hedin Senegal Economic Development 1470
Effects of Microfinance on Gender Equality and Democracy in Senegal
As global poverty continues to loom over development work and foreign aid, microfinance, a strategy created in Bangladesh around 1976 by Dr. Muhammad Yunnus, has created much optimism. Microfinance, referring to the provision of financial services to people isolated from the traditional banking system, targeted women from its inception. It continues to be used as a tool for women’s empowerment today. Yet, as the success of the microfinance model has grown, the focus on women has broadened and microfinance institutions now frequently include men in hopes of encouraging cooperation and joint ownership between the sexes. The expansion of microfinance and its goals illuminates a compelling tension between gender equality and democracy. While women’s microfinance institutions consider their work crucial to the elimination of discriminatory practices, there are concerns that the refusal to grant access to men is detrimental to the spirit of community partnership and reinforces segregation of the sexes. Conversely, organizations that serve both men and women meet criticism for ignoring the patriarchal traditions that have so severely marginalized women. Existing research reaffirms the capacity of microfinance to improve financial stability; it is the goal of my project to better understand the effects of microfinance on underdeveloped communities, particularly with regard to gender equality and democracy.
In the spring of 2006, I worked with two microfinance institutions in Senegal. Mutuelle d’Epargne et de Crédit des Femmes de la Communauté de Yéne et Sebikotane (MEC FECYS) is a microcredit and savings mutual for 864 women in the towns of Sebikotane, Yéne, and Diamniadio. MEC Jappoo extends credit and savings services to some 1,800 men and women living in Sebikotane and Diamniadio. Both institutions have become cornerstones of the community, acting as springboards for other development projects and encouraging political participation. However, MEC FECYS criticizes MEC Jappoo for its apparent disregard of the deeply rooted inequalities between the sexes in Senegal. MEC Jappoo criticizes MEC FECYS for perpetuating inequality by not encouraging collaboration between the sexes. The antagonistic relationship between MEC FECYS and MEC Jappoo illustrates the tension I will investigate.
While offering the same financial services, these two microfinance institutions have different goals and thus different impacts on their clients. My research will seek to answer the question: in what ways do microfinance institutions impact gender equality and democracy? In pursuing this research question, I will examine whether or not the tension occurring between MEC FECYS and MEC Jappoo is characteristic of microfinance institutions elsewhere in Senegal. I will seek an explanation as to why this tension between those institutions that promote democracy and those that promote gender equality exists. I will explore the possibility of creating a model that simultaneously addresses these two values instead of sacrificing one for the other as is the case of MEC FECYS and MEC Jappoo.
Senegal is an ideal host country for me because I have developed relationships with professors at l’Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) who are experts in the field of international development and women’s rights. I have also built relationships with the staff members of MEC FECYS and MEC Jappoo. MEC Jappoo is a member of le Réseau de Remec/Niayes, a country-wide group of microfinance institutions. The leadership of MEC Jappoo has offered to help me establish contacts at microfinance institutions that vary in size, location, and mission. Moreover, I have acquired elementary Wolof language skills and am eager to improve my abilities through courses offered at the ACI Baobob Center in Dakar.
While conducting my research, I will be based in Dakar at the West African Research Center where I will have access to libraries, technology, and courses at UCAD. Working in Dakar, I can consult local experts with groups such as ENDA (Environement et développement du tiers-monde), USAID, and other Senegalese non-governmental organizations. Utilizing these resources will prepare me for the field research necessary to successfully complete my research. I plan to conduct interviews with employees and members of microfinance institutions. These interviews will pursue answers to questions including the following: What are the goals of the institution beyond providing financial services? What steps do employees and supporters of the institution take to accomplish these goals? What is the impact of these steps on the institution’s clients? Seeking answers to these questions will help determine what roles different microfinance institutions play in the community beyond that of a provider of financial services. At each microfinance institution I visit, I will pay particularly close attention to whether or not the organization is taking steps to re-enforce democracy or reverse discrimination against women. I will observe if in pursuing one, the organization must sacrifice the other as in the case of MEC FECYS and MEC Jappoo.
For my case studies, I will work with four microfinance institutions of different size and location. At present, I am interested in the institutions of le Réseau de Remec/Niayes located in Sebikotane, Saint-Louis, Kaolack, and Louga. I will identify institutions outside le Réseau so as to diversify my research. Furthermore, I will solicit help in language translation when necessary from contacts and colleagues at the West African Research Center.
I will divide my time in Senegal between Dakar and field research elsewhere. After the initial month in Dakar, I plan to leave for field research at a microfinance institution. I will then return to Dakar, having a better idea of what questions I would like to ask and what topics I would like to further pursue. Staggering my time between my host institution and field research sites will give me the benefit of approaching each new site visit having internalized the experience of the last one and having had time to prepare and consult with resources in Dakar. My research will last 10 months (as is the country’s preference), beginning in September, and will continue through the academic year so as to take advantage of courses offered at UCAD.
The goal of my research project is to take a widely studied subject (microfinance) and examine if from an often-overlooked angle (its effects on democratization or women’s rights and the tension between the two). There is an emerging consensus that microfinance can be a successful strategy for producing financial stability. Any conclusions that can be drawn as to how microfinance reduces gender discrimination and encourages democracy, and if it is possible to do both at the same time rather than focusing on one at the expense of the other, could be applied to other development projects—be it food aid, sustainable agriculture, or education. The result of this project has the potential to facilitate the creation of new techniques for development and to help orient development projects towards producing the most optimal outcome.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Emily Hedin Senegal Economic Development 1470
If I were to be described by one attribute, I hope it would be my dedication to social justice activism. My commitment to both local and global development has been the motivating force behind all my extra-curricular endeavors since the start of college. I spend time on a regular basis building houses with Habitat for Humanity, tutoring East African immigrants at the Jane Addams School for Democracy, and preparing meals for people affected by HIV/AIDS at Open Arms of Minnesota. I aim to engage with my community and address the complex problem of underdevelopment, particularly as it affects immigrant populations. In 2004 I was a recipient of the Phillips Scholarship, an award granted to a select group of college students who design and implement an original community service project. With my grant, I worked through Open Arms of Minnesota to develop nutritional services specifically for African-born people living with HIV/AIDS. I collaborated with other agencies in the area, organized meal-delivery and hot-lunch programs, and conducted outreach activities to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS services available to the African-born community.
My enthusiasm for community engagement is also evident in my academic work. I have completed a number of ambitious projects that included field research similar to what I expect to be doing in Senegal. In one such project, I studied gay rights activism in the Episcopal Church of the USA by interviewing bishops, clergy members, congregants, and activists across the country. As I senior, I am preparing for the opportunity to go abroad after graduation by maintaining my French skills as a resident of the campus French house and by undertaking a rigorous senior honors thesis project about structural adjustment programs in Senegal. I strongly believe in the connection between theory and practice and do my best to integrate academic work with extra-curricular interests.
The inspiration for my project proposal came while I was in Senegal interning with two microfinance organizations, MEC FECYS and MEC Jappoo. From my first day in the office, I was utterly fascinated. As an intern, I helped with the daily transactions, observed meetings of the organization’s leadership, and conducted semi-structured interviews with employees and mutual members. I spent each day absorbing as much as I could by improving my Wolof, listening to the leadership discuss community service, and talking with people about the reality of life in a developing country. I grew close to the people at MEC FECYS and MEC Jappoo and developed an intense desire to contribute to their work.
The Fulbright provides the perfect gateway from which I can pursue my future goal of working in community development. After accumulating a deeper understanding of both the constraints and potential of current development projects, I plan to work in development in West Africa, with an emphasis on democratization and women’s rights. I will return to the United States after a few years to pursue a law degree; I am particularly interested in the legal rights of immigrants, refugees, and asylees as they seek entry to the United States and after they have arrived.
The success of my academic and extra-curricular career has prepared me to be a successful Fulbright grant recipient. A Fulbright grant to return to Senegal would be the continuation of an undergraduate experience in which I have developed a keen awareness of global development issues as well as a desire to contribute to the field. Thank you for your time and consideration.