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Research Methodology
Research was
conducted in Angola, Cambodia, Mozambique and Rwanda between June and
August 2001. The research attempted to answer three questions:
·
What
environmental conditions have the greatest impact on microfinance?
·
What
are the coping mechanisms of the poor for managing household finances
during and in post-conflict situations?
·
What
type of microfinance products are in demand during and in post-conflict
situations?
A qualitative
research methodology was chosen in order to capture the complexity and
variability of the post conflict environment. Secondary data was
collected throughout the research period, and at the beginning of field
research, primary data was collected from local NGOs and MFIs in order
to give a background to the situation and enable research teams to ask
the right questions. The qualitative methodology used a mixture of
semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions.
For the purpose of
collecting rich, in-depth information, interviews were conducted within
a small number of villages and with a small number of people. In order
for these results to be applicable to the wider microfinance community
working in different post conflict situations, the research sought to
create generalised statements called testable propositions. In testing
these propositions to their limit, a cyclical process of data
collection, translation, transcription and analysis was conducted. The
transcribed field notes were coded to ensure that all information was
included in data analysis, which was conducted every two or three days
to guide the nature and direction of the research. The propositions
developed were then tested in a contrasting province using the same
approach. The final output was a list of generalised statements
demonstrating beliefs of the research team, based upon intensive
analysis of the research data.
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