Following the International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos 2008, held in Davos, Switzerland from Aug. 25 – 29, 2008 (full details on http://www.idrc.info), GRF Davos is planning to publish of a special book on “Microfinance and Disaster Risk Reduction”.

Microfinance tools will play a decisive role in coping with the various risks associated with natural and economic adversities and to accelerate the economic and social recovery after the occurrence of a disastrous event. However, there is still a certain reluctance in introducing and using these methods. As in the IDRC Davos 2008, we intend to highlight the existing methods, present a number of case studies and reveal gaps for future improvement.

Aim and scope of the book
The aim of the book is to underline the strong existing ties between the risk management community and the microfinance tools and institutions. Our intention is to investigate the relationship between disaster risk reduction, microcredit and microinsurance. Furthermore, we wish to explore possible combinations of loans, savings and insurance for low-income people to provide them with appropriate solutions for at least a partial risk reduction. The focus is placed on microfinance tools that are capable of reducing the damage caused by natural disasters and unexpected hazards. The book will provide an overview of the recent scientific findings on microfinance, the status and strategies of implementation in various risk sectors, best practices and specific case studies on microcredit programs and microinsurance initiatives.

Our publication will reflect the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of microfinance as a poverty reduction and risk management instrument, recognizing wide-ranging contributions to the development of methods, tools and evaluation strategies relevant to the field. Microfinance and Disaster Risk Reduction will investigate the issues of microfinance, microcredit and microinsurance. We expect these topics to be properly correlated to disaster risk prevention and mitigation.

We would be happy to receive contributions from academics, the private sector and from practitioners in the field. Said contributions should offer innovative and critical-constructive views on microfinance by emphasizing the actual problems related to its practical applications, regulation, barriers to access, its social performance and economic sustainability, capacity building, etc.

Topics
The following subtopics, and particularly real case studies and field experiences, are planned to be included in this publication:

Microfinance (MF):
- MF as a poverty reduction and risk management instrument.
- Post-disaster MF
- The role of private-public partnership in MF
- The future of MF industry: innovative instruments and future opportunities and threats

Microinsurance (MI):
- MI: a social protection mechanism and/or a new market for insurers?
- The role of MI in disaster reduction and climate change
- The demand for MI: managing risk
- Current strategies: strengths and weaknesses
- Health insurance to the poor
- MI: Risk assessment and attention to clients
- Clients’ awareness and the insurance culture
- Post-disaster MI
- Field experiences and innovative products

Microcredit (MC):
- MC for the poor and the less advantaged: an instrument to get out of poverty or to prevent to fall to poverty
- MC and MI: an integrated model
- Savings and credit-linked insurance
- The evolution of the relationship between saving and credit products, and insurance
- Emergency loans as a simple risk management service
- Loan protection insurance (credit life) and life insurance
- Loan protection combined with other benefits: health-related benefits and catastrophic cover
- MC: field experiences

The work is ongoing. The publication date will be announced on our website and in our newsletter (subscribe here).