Credit to Capabilities

'Microcredit has been a major interest of development economists for years, given their effectiveness as an engine of upward mobility among the poor. Paromita Sanyal's remarkable book gives us a different lens on their importance. She reveals the critical role of microcredit in enabling women to build independent lives even in the face of traditional suppression. This engaging study should be read by students, scholars and policy makers who want to know how this strategy can make a profound difference for women in developing countries.' Katherine Newman, Provost, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged 'The remarkable global phenomenon of microcredits has finally found its wise analyst. Drawing from hundreds of vivid interviews with Indian women, Paromita Sanyal offers bold explanations of when, how, and in what ways microcredits enhance female autonomy. Credit to Capabilities contributes fresh insights to the study of economic activity and household gender dynamics.' Viviana A. Zelizer, Lloyd Cotsen '50 Professor of Sociology, Princeton University, and author of The Purchase of Intimacy and Economic Lives 'Credit to Capabilities is a major contribution to our understanding of the social impact of microcredit on the ability of women to gain autonomy in various spheres of their lives. This qualitative study adds considerable nuances to existing analyses on the topic by parsing out who benefits, when, how much, and how. Sanyal's book is of broad sociological significance as a model for approaching agency and social change. A must-read for students of gender, development, economic sociology, family, deliberation, and much more.' Michele Lamont, Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University