Money-Go-Rounds: The Importance of ROSCAs for Women

by Shirley Ardener (Editor), Sandra Burman (Editor)

Overview

On most continents - from the USA to Africa and Asia - various forms of rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) serve men and women of the community, often as their major -- and sometimes their only -- savings institution. ROSCAs are self-help money-pooling associations with participants who agree to make regular contributions to a fund which is given, in whole or in part, to each contributor in rotation. Many ROSCAs have elaborate systems to cope with inflation, default and the distribution of benefits. In providing important social and welfare resources they constitute valuable social capital.This unique volume of case studies by an international group of experts, which examines ROSCAs on a worldwide basis, will be of interest to anyone studying or concerned with anthropology, economics, women's issues, and especially the welfare of the less developed countries and immigrant communities in 'the West'.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040287989
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/01/2024
Series:	Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Women
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	342
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Mrs Shirley Ardener Centre for Cross-Cultural Research on Women,University of Oxford Sandra Burman Senior Member of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research on Women, University of Oxford and Director of the Socio-legal Unit, University of Cape Town

Table of Contents

Preface 1. Women Making Money Go Round: ROSCAs Revisited PART I: Africa 2. Building New Realities: African Women and ROSCAs in Urban South Africa 3. The Kiambu Group: A Successful Women's ROSCA in Mathare Valley, Nairobi (1971 to 1990) 4. A Note on ROSCAs among Ethiopian Women in Addis Ababa and Eritrean Women in Oxford 5. Mobilizing Cash for Business: Women in Rotating Susu Clubs in Ghana 6. Women's Access to and the Control of Credit in Cameroon: The Mamfe Case 7. Looking at Financial Landscapes: A Contextual Analysis of ROSCAs in Cameroon PART II: Asia 8. Women's Differential Use of ROSCAs in Indonesia 9. Economic Kou (ROSCAs) in Japan: A Review 10. Women's ROSCAs in Contemporary Indian Society 11. Gender Inequality, ROSCAs and Sectoral Employment Strategies: Questions from the South Indian Silk Industry PART III: Diasporas 12. ROSCAs among South Asians in Oxford 13. A Note on ROSCAs among Northern Somali Women in the United Kingdom 14. Gender Differences in ROSCA Participation within Korean Business Households in Los Angeles 15. Gold Coins and Coffee ROSCAs: Coping with Inflation the Turkish Way in Northern Cyprus 16. Women's Use of ROSCAs in the Caribbean: Reassessing the Literature

Editorial Reviews

Examines groups of women who agree to make regular contributions to a fund, which is given in whole or part to each contributor in rotation, a practice with a long tradition especially among people who cannot qualify for credit from banks. Most of the contributors have backgrounds in anthropology and draw on their experience in Africa and Asia and in immigrant groups in Britain and the US. The 16 studies, from a workshop in Oxford, January 1992, focus on the role of the associations in economic development and women's welfare, as well as explain their sometimes complex structures. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

The book was like a breath of fresh air because it is all about keeping the art and science of lending money very simple ... not only relevant reading for the general public and those who are involved in banking, but for high flyers who have lost or are losing money in the rarefied atmosphere of derivatives, it is definitely a reality check. - Journal of African Economies

From the Publisher

The contributors ... demonstrate an unusually wide range of methodologies, stretching from quantitative economistic analyses to a unique postmodern treatment, that will be very useful for those planning research to survey. [...] The editors should be commended for assembling such an impressive range and standard of particpants for the workshop from which the papers are primarily drawn. One hopes that their publication will not only set a high standard for future research but also encourage more serious and comprehensive focus on these groups as a global phenomenon.

American Ethnologist

It will serve as excellent reading for those studying economics and anthropology. This volume will also be a valuable source of reference for future research.

Technology & Development Science

The essays, herein, originate from papers presented ast a workshop convened at Oxford University. By and large, they are by social anthropologists and based on Ardener's seminal work, a tour de force, rich in detail and insight.

Development Politics

... this volume represents an important stage in the development and application of methodology and the production of usable material in this field of study.

Professor Buddhadasa Hewavitharana

The book was like a breath of fresh air because it is all about keeping the art and science of lending money very simple ... not only relevant reading for the general public and those who are involved in banking, but for high flyers who have lost or are losing money in the rarefied atmosphere of derivatives, it is definitely a reality check.

Journal of African Economies

This is an eloquent and profound volume of essays that evinces both scholarship and discernment, which enhance our understanding of ROSCAs as well as the significance of women in financial decision making in the family.

Yale University C. Michael Henry