Is microfinance an effective way to fight poverty?
John praised microfinance from 2007, citing Kiva repayment rates of 98.5 to 99%, and Hank called it proven in 2012. In 2014 John qualified this: loans can be hoarded and abused, which is why Kiva long did not work in India.
Axis: very effective ... ineffective or harmful
Positions by date: 12 records in 12 videos. The position was refined (2007, 2014), never reversed, in these records.
John
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-28 | first on record | John argues microfinance breaks the no-collateral poverty cycle, beats loan sharks and gets high repayment: 'an awesome idea'. | June 28: How to Be a Microfinancier 00:02:36 |
| 2007-07-02 | refine | John revises Thursday's claim that only the very rich can open microfinance banks: Nerdfighters together probably could have. → refers to June 28: How to Be a Microfinancier | Brotherhood 2.0: July 2nd: The Law of Compound Nerdfighting 00:00:29 |
| 2009-10-11 | restate | John says microfinance works: loans to poor entrepreneurs via Kiva are repaid 99% of the time and bring people out of poverty. | Puppy Elephant Defends Capitalism 00:02:34 |
| 2011-09-26 | restate | John says Kiva borrowers repay 98.5% of the time and that lending lets you facilitate sustainable economic growth in the developing world. | Awesome Bankers? 00:02:55 |
| 2011-11-11 | restate | John explains that Kiva.org lets anyone lend to entrepreneurs in the developing world, who almost always pay back, so it is like charity except free. | The Bank of Nerdfighteria 00:02:17 |
| 2012-03-13 | restate | John says Kiva gives developing-world entrepreneurs access to the inexpensive credit and banking others take for granted, and hopes viewers discover 'the wonders of microfinance'. | Actually Free Money! (Really.) The Bank of Nerdfighteria's Quarterly Report 00:01:24 |
| 2012-12-11 | restate | John says his more than 2,000 Kiva loans have all been repaid so far and helping $64,000 of businesses grow cost him only $7. | Economics and Dentistry: YOUTUBE'S FAVORITE TOPICS 00:02:37 |
| 2013-11-26 | restate | John says Kiva borrowers repay 99% of the time, jokingly likening lending to a savings account at negative 1% interest, and you watch businesses grow. | The Bank of Nerdfighteria 00:02:56 |
| 2014-06-10 (said on 2014-06-07, implied) | refine | John says microfinance can drive change, but the book shows loans hoarded and abused, which is why Kiva long did not work in India and now has many restrictions. | Our Old Friend Complexity: Behind the Beautiful Forevers 00:01:23 |
Hank
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-29 | first on record | Hank calls microfinance a really powerful way for poor people to improve their own lives, and agrees it is like giving money you get back. | How to be a Microfinancier Part 2 00:01:55 |
| 2012-08-31 | restate | Hank: it is proven economically that microfinance is a really great way to help the developing world. | Why The Rich Pay Lower Taxes 00:03:12 |
| 2013-01-15 | restate | Hank says the Dominican Republic microfinance visit shaped how he envisions the world getting better, and microfinance seems to really work. | An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall 01:55:52 |
Background
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-10-14 | background | John says there is a 99% chance of being repaid on a Kiva loan, jokingly likening it to a negative-1% savings account. (playful) | A Minor Crisis 00:01:14 |
Dates are upload dates, which set the order. Where the speaker gives a different recording date in the video, it is added as "said on YYYY-MM-DD, implied" (derived from the date said in the video).