caa a22 4500 445862696 CHVBK 20180317145448.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110801xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10997-009-9116-7 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10997-009-9116-7 Mersland Roy University of Agder, 4640, Kristiansand, Norway aut The governance of non-profit micro finance institutions: lessons from history [Elektronische Daten] [Roy Mersland] Microfinance is high on the public agenda, and better corporate governance has been identified as a key factor for enhancing the viability of the industry. However, recent literature on the subject struggles to identify the corporate governance mechanisms that influence the performance of the Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs). Guided by stakeholder and agency theories, this paper uses a historical parallel found in savings banks to present corporate governance lessons for MFIs, particularly non-profit MFIs, today. The findings indicate that monitoring by bank associations, depositors, donors, and local communities was important in securing the survival of savings banks. In addition, a willingness to expand their mission to serve wealthier customers alongside the poor helped the banks become financially viable. These findings could prompt a rethinking of microfinance governance, which stresses regulation, for-profit ownership, and traditional vertical board control. The paper argues that a broader and more stakeholder-based understanding of corporate governance is necessary. Moreover, the paper demonstrates that historical studies can provide governance lessons for today. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC., 2009 Microfinance nationallicence MFI nationallicence Non-profit organisations nationallicence Governance nationallicence Savings banks nationallicence History nationallicence Journal of Management & Governance Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 15/3(2011-08-01), 327-348 1385-3457 15:3<327 2011 15 10997 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-009-9116-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-009-9116-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Mersland Roy University of Agder, 4640, Kristiansand, Norway aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Journal of Management & Governance Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com 15/3(2011-08-01), 327-348 1385-3457 15:3<327 2011 15 10997 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer