Microfinance and women entrepreneurship development: evidence from Tunisia

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of microfinance on women’s entrepreneurship and empowerment, using national household data from Tunisia. We have employed Logistic Regressions and Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to study the consequences of microfinance use.We find positive and significant effects of access to credit on women’s work, attitudes toward income increase, execution of the micro-projects, and schooling attendance. The results confirm the potential of micro-finance in women’s empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development in Tunisia, especially during COVID-19 pandemic.