Bernd BALKENHOL
Emeritus Professor
Ph.D., University of Freiburg
Short bio
Bernd Balkenhol is Professor of microfinance and financial inclusion at the University of Geneva (Geneva School of Economics and Management). His research interests are in the access, use and impact of financial services. After obtaining his PhD at the University of Freiburg and a MA at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Medford, Mass.) he joined the International Labor Organization (ILO). Amongst other functions he served as senior policy advisor to the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) in Dakar. In 1991 he set up and directed the Social Finance Program at the ILO. He represented ILO at the launch of the G 20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion. In 2015 he coordinated and managed the IV. European Microfinance Research Conference at the University of Geneva. He has lectured at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Paris Dauphine and University Zürich.
Research & publications
Balkenhol B. (2017), "Microfinance: Research, Debates, Policy", Routledge/Taylor and Francis (forthcoming)
Balkenhol B. (2018-20), "Sustainable Microfinance" (subproject of the SNF financed GFRI research "New Approaches in Sustainable Finance" directed by Rajna Gibson Brandon and Jean Charles Rochet)
Balkenhol B. (2014) "Le microcrédit professionnel et l'accompagnement à la création d'entreprise en France : quel devenir des créateurs sur le marché du travail trois ans après?", note d'analyse no 13, France Stratégie, Paris.
Balkenhol B., Guézennec C., Lainé F. & Nouaille-Degorce L. (2013), "Le microcrédit professionnel en France: quels effets sur l’emploi?, Document de travail 2013-07 du Centre d’Analyse Stratégique (CAS), Paris.
Balkenhol B. & Hudon M. (2011), "Efficiency", in Beatriz Armendariz, Marc Labie (eds), The Handbook of Microfinance, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore.
