Social Finance and the Poor

At a time when the failure of neo-liberal development promises in many developing countries has raised various serious questions - does development answer the challenge of poverty and other problem areas? - the world is at a crossroads of history. Social finance, the solidarity-based economy, micro economic initiatives, fair trade and other issues represent the path that some individuals who are concerned by the state of world realities want to take. This path is still in very marginal position and needs to be mainstreamed. To mainstream social finance in economic and development policies, developing the discussion and theoretical framework and promoting existing social finance initiatives become tasks that need collective and parallel action.