Hi Lesley, great points. Somen Saha wrote in an article about microfinance institutions that integrate health programming that MFIs in India that provide health loans (which in some cases, I think get used for water/sanitation investments) are often considered "long-term investment loans" versus "consumption loans", because they do not produce value (in terms of cash inflow) in the short-run. I wonder if this is a way to think about these types of credit products, in that they either are risk-management investments or long-term investments--which can have long-lasting benefits to the borrower--versus, as you say, "consumption or non-productive" loans.
Hi Lesley, great points. Somen Saha wrote in an article about microfinance institutions that integrate health programming that MFIs in India that provide health loans (which in some cases, I think get used for water/sanitation investments) are often considered "long-term investment loans" versus "consumption loans", because they do not produce value (in terms of cash inflow) in the short-run. I wonder if this is a way to think about these types of credit products, in that they either are risk-management investments or long-term investments--which can have long-lasting benefits to the borrower--versus, as you say, "consumption or non-productive" loans.