Farah Naz

Microfinance institutions (MFIs)Microfinance institutions (Mfls) constantly face delays in their collections and in many cases, not receiving money or loans that were lent within the stipulated period. Most of these micro lending was arranged without collaterals and thus delinquencyDelinquency, which is a delay in payment initially and later a loan defaultDefault, has become a propensity in micro financing. This study explores factors that lead to delinquency and categorizes them in internal, external, and natural. Internal factors include business type, interest rate, loan size, inadequate appraisal process, and extent of monitoring and mismanagement of loans by the MFIsMicrofinance institutions (Mfls). External factorsInternal factors loan delinquency relate to legislative issues, geopolitical and economic situations, while natural factorsNatural factors arise due to weather and climate changeClimate change that affect borrowers’ agricultural products and services, production and supply chains, natural disastersNatural disasters, and the borrowers’ poor health or sudden death. We conduct a comprehensive literature reviewLiterature review that led to causes and factors of loan delinquencyDelinquency.

In this essay, the authors analyze the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of inequalities and socio-economic vulnerabilities. We argue that the current pandemic has been looked at mainly through the lens of biology, leaving sociological blind spots in the response to this pandemic that have had adverse effects. We conclude with the suggestion that apart from recommendations from health sciences, policy makers must also take into account local societal structures in order to design effective policies to control the contagion.

With the expansion of global capitalism since the later part of the twentieth century, homeworking has become an integral component of the global production organization. Although it was expected that homeworking would decline with the industrialization, the situation is, in fact, exactly opposite to what was expected. The involvement of homeworkers is on the rise in global supply chains and the employment of workers under poor working conditions is driving down the labor conditions. These new production arrangements have fueled the debate about the working conditions and associated responsibilities in global supply chains on a much broader scale. This paper aims at contributing to these discussions by focusing on female homeworkers in a garment supply chain of Pakistan. A qualitative study was designed to explore the intricacies of female home-based work in global supply chains and to develop theoretical insights relevant to the institution of homeworking. This study shows that women’s involvement in homework within the private sphere of the household is shaped by the interplay of gender ideologies and capitalist labor market practices, spreading responsibilities in the case of homeworkers. Therefore, existing notions of economic responsibility in laissez-faire economics are not adequate to deal with the issues of homeworking in global supply chains.