WUNRN
Grameen Foundation
Microfinance
is designed to improve the lives of very poor people. That goal, often
called a “social” bottom line, is an important measure for microfinance
programs, but is hard to gauge. Grameen Foundation has long recognized the need
to develop a practical and accurate tool to measure social performance, just as
there are financial tools to measure financial performance.
Our search for an innovative solution for the microfinance industry lead us to develop the Progress Out Of Poverty Index™ (PPI™) as an easy to use, flexible tool that is easily customized for a particular country.
_________________________________________________________________
the PPI™ - Progress out of Poverty Index
The Progress out of Poverty IndexTM (PPI™) is
a simple and accurate tool that measures poverty levels of groups and
individuals. Using the PPI, MFIs can better determine their clients’ needs,
which programs are most effective, how quickly clients leave poverty, and what
helps them to move out of poverty faster.
CGAP, Grameen Foundation and the Ford Foundation endorse the use of rigorous poverty assessment tools and believe the Progress out of Poverty Index™ (PPI) is a highly effective tool for those institutions interested in measuring the likelihood of client poverty.
The PPI is based on an approach developed by Mark Schreiner of Microfinance Risk Management, L.L.C. It is a user-friendly tool that estimates the likelihood that clients fall below the national poverty line, the poverty line that defines the poorest half below the national poverty line or the $1/Day/PPP and $2/Day/PPP international poverty lines. While the PPI is built on a universal methodology, each PPI is country specific and based on that country's best nationally representative income and expenditure household survey.
For each
country, the process starts with a nationally representative income and/or
expenditure survey. The data from the survey are analyzing to rank indicators
that strongly correlate with poverty. These indicators are then tested and
vetted with local MFIs and their representatives. Each of these steps is
described in detail below.
Measuring
MFI field staff visit the homes of clients to collect key information. Using a practical list of ten indicators such as family size, the number of children attending school, the type of housing and others, staff members interview clients while observing their households. Each indicator receives a score that reflects client response, and all ten indicators receive a total score.
The
indicators in each country are drawn from either that country’s national
household survey (such as Mexico’s INEGI database or Pakistan’s Integrated
Household Survey), or the country-specific World Bank Living Standards
Measurement Survey, depending on which data set has the most complete
information. This index then serves as a baseline from which client progress is
measured.
Analyzing
Field staff
match the total points from a client’s PPI to a poverty level estimate using a
simple chart. In this way, individuals are ranked according to the applicable
poverty line. Using this analysis, institutions can assess the poverty
likelihood of clients by branch, by rural or urban setting and by client
history (new or current).
Managing
By tracking
poverty levels against other client demographic information, the results of the
PPI allow an MFI to make key decisions about its mission and how to carry it
out. By using the PPI over time, MFIs can:
1.
Better define and adhere to their missions.
2. Increase their competitive edge, profitability, and
ability to retain clients by responding more quickly and effectively to changes
in their communities and by showing documented results.
3. Provide timely and accurate information to socially
responsible investors who may want to provide financial resources to their
programs.
·
Français
·
Español