Impact of Small Enterprise Loan Programme of Palli Daridro Bimochon Foundation on the Beneficiaries Socio-economic Development: A Case of Bangladesh

Abstract

Various government and non-government organizations in Bangladesh are trying to socio-economic development of the rural poor through Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In this context, the purpose of the study was to assess the impact of small enterprise loan programme (SELP) of Palli Daridro Bimochon Foundation (PDBF) on the socio-economic development of the beneficiaries. The study was conducted in four upazilas (sub-district) of Bangladesh. Face to face interview was conducted to collect relevant data from the randomly selected 271 respondents. The survey revealed that majority (69.40%) of the respondents developed their socio-economic conditions which ranged from medium to high level compared to 30.60 % of the respondents was at low level. The regression result showed that the socio-economic development of the beneficiaries is characterized by their higher age, higher education, longer experience in involvement, higher savings, lower loan availability, higher satisfaction and favourable attitude towards SELP. The findings may contribute to improving SELP beneficiaries’ socio-economic condition through more effective policies.