<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This paper investigates the financial and social efficiency of microfinance institutions (“MFIs”) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the effects of the latest crisis on these “two-dimensional” efficiencies. Specifically, we analyze the efficiency of MFIs in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as a good case of a European, post-war country in transition with a developed micro-financial sector. The efficiency analysis relies on secondary data collected and investigated through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The study covers data for the period commencing in 2008 and ending in 2015. In our empirical investigation, we find a suboptimal level of both financial and social efficiency among MFIs in BiH. However, financial efficiency is significantly higher than social efficiency, while small-sized MFIs over perform larger ones in both the financial and social dimensions. As a result of the crisis, MFIs recorded a declining trend in efficiency up to 2010, after which they began to show signs of slow recovery. However, our results suggest that MFIs prioritized financial over social goals in recovery period following the crisis.</p></abstract>

This paper investigates the financial and social efficiency of microfinance institutions (“MFIs”) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the effects of the latest crisis on these “two-dimensional” efficiencies. Specifically, we analyze the efficiency of MFIs in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as a good case of a European, post-war country in transition with a developed micro-financial sector. The efficiency analysis relies on secondary data collected and investigated through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The study covers data for the period commencing in 2008 and ending in 2015. In our empirical investigation, we find a suboptimal level of both financial and social efficiency among MFIs in BiH. However, financial efficiency is significantly higher than social efficiency, while small-sized MFIs over perform larger ones in both the financial and social dimensions. As a result of the crisis, MFIs recorded a declining trend in efficiency up to 2010, after which they began to show signs of slow recovery. However, our results suggest that MFIs prioritized financial over social goals in recovery period following the crisis.

The social and financial efficiency of microfinance institutions: the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

South East European Journal of Economics and Business

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

This paper investigates the financial and social efficiency of microfinance institutions (“MFIs”) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the effects of the...

The social and financial efficiency of microfinance institutions: the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Published Online: Jan 11, 2018

Page range: 85 - 101

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jeb-2017-0018

Keywords
Efficiency, Microfinance institutions, Bosnia and Herzegovina

© 2017 South East European Journal of Economics and Business

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The social and financial efficiency of microfinance institutions: the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Published Online: Jan 11, 2018

Page range: 85 - 101

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jeb-2017-0018

KeywordsEfficiency, Microfinance institutions, Bosnia and Herzegovina

© 2017 South East European Journal of Economics and Business

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Efficiency, Microfinance institutions, Bosnia and Herzegovina