Development, Divinity, and Dharma: The Role of Religion in Development Institutions and Microfinance
Malcolm Harper, Ashis Kumar Sahu, D. S. K. RaoBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Faith-based institutions are getting involved in economic development programs, including microfinance, and many foreign donors are looking to religious organizations for new ways to reach the poorest people. This book considers the work of a number of these, of different faiths, and asks what is special about them. Do religious links make these organizations more or less effective? Should spiritual development and economic upliftment be kept apart?
Development, Divinity and Dharma explores these questions by examining a number of Hindu, Christian and Muslim institutions in India and in Pakistan. Its main focus is the Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development program, which though little known outside south India, has changed the lives of almost half a million people, including Hindus, Muslims and Christians, through social and economic development programs which are motivated by religious faith.
Synopsis
Faith-based institutions are getting involved in economic development programs, including microfinance, and many foreign donors are looking to religious organizations for new ways to reach the poorest people. This book considers the work of a number of these, of different faiths, and asks what is special about them. Do religious links make these organizations more or less effective? Should spiritual development and economic upliftment be kept apart?
Development, Divinity and Dharma explores these questions by examining a number of Hindu, Christian and Muslim institutions in India and in Pakistan. Its main focus is the Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development program, which though little known outside south India, has changed the lives of almost half a million people, including Hindus, Muslims and Christians, through social and economic development programs which are motivated by religious faith.
Editorials
From the Publisher
“Dr. Harper and his colleagues remind us that long before poverty was fashionable or microfinance coveted as an emerging market, religious organizations worked to mitigate the ravages of inequity through innovation and perhaps the world’s first customer oriented service ethic. Without letting the drivers of profitability or mass appeal stop them, faith based development schemes work directly and often quite effectively with those who are most in need offering an economic ladder out of the depths of poverty not just a bowl of rice and a prayer.”“The work of thousands of religious people, who are inspired to work for others, is a widespread natural phenomenon. The pioneering work Development, Divinity and Dharma will hopefully entail an awakening in this field.”
“There is more to spirituality than salvation. This book can change the way you think of religion and its contribution to improving the material world around us.”