Katarzyna Cieslik (KTI): Unruly Entrepreneurs. Positive Deviance and Value Creation by Microfinance Clients in Rural Burundi

KatarzyinaCieslik will explore the social entrepreneurial potential of the rule-breaking practices of microfinance programs’ beneficiaries.  Her study examines the strategies employed by the poor in Burundi to bypass institutional rules. It identifies four instances of rule evasion: consumption spending, illegitimate investment, loan juggling and loan arrogation. Unruly practices are interpreted as both value-creating and entrepreneurial. The discussion addresses issues of agency and empowerment, and the definition of social value.