Tara S. Nair
is currently Professor at the Gujarat Institute of Development Research, Ahmedabad. An economist by
training, Dr. Nair has done substantive research on rural financial institutions, including microfinance institutions
in India. She has undertaken primary research across Indian states and countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar, and
consulted many national and international programmes and organizations. Her publications span a range of topics like
role and contribution of commercial banks in rural financial intermediation, commercialization and social responsibil-
ity of microfinance institutions, and issues in microfinance regulation.
Ajay Tankha
is an economist with over 35 years’ experience of teaching, training and research in development studies,
rural finance and microfinance.
He has served as Head of Microfinance of ActionAid UK, where he directed a global review of its savings and credit
programmes, including impact assessment studies in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana. He has also been
associated as a consultant with CARE-India’s CASHE project, GIZ Rural Financial Institutions Programme, American
India Foundation, Sa-Dhan, Access Development Services, EDA Rural Systems and Small Industries Development
Bank of India. In addition, he has prepared studies sponsored by the World Bank, International Finance Corporation,
Ford Foundation, Rabobank, ICCO and Cordaid, the Netherlands.
He has authored several research papers and publications on microfinance and rural livelihoods including two books
on self-help groups. He is currently based in New Delhi.
About the Authors
