Yunus, Muhammad

Yunus, Muhammad

▪ Bangladeshi economist
born June 28, 1940, Chittagong, East Bengal [now Bangladesh]
 
 Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit (small loans to poor people possessing no collateral) to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Prize for Peace.

      After teaching economics at Chittagong University from 1961 to 1965, Yunus won a Fulbright scholarship. He studied and taught at Vanderbilt University from 1965 to 1972, earning a Ph.D. in economics in 1969. He returned to Chittagong University as head of the economics department in 1972 and began studying the economic aspects of poverty in 1974 as famine swept through Bangladesh. Yunus even asked students to assist farmers in the fields, but he concluded that agricultural training alone would not benefit the large population of landless poor who had no assets. What the poor needed, he believed, was access to money that would help them build small businesses; traditional moneylenders charged usurious interest. In 1976 Yunus began a program of “micro” loans, a credit system designed to meet the needs of the poor in Bangladesh. Borrowers, whose loans may be little more than $25, join lending groups. Support from group members (in addition to peer pressure) coaxes borrowers to repay their loans. The Bangladesh government made the Grameen Bank Project an independent bank in 1983. The Grameen model has spurred other forms of microlending around the world.

      In February 2007 Yunus entered the Bangladeshi political arena by forming a political party, Nagorik Shakti (Citizen Power), and announcing his intention to contest the upcoming election. His announcement came during a state of emergency and severe conflict between the country's two major parties, the Awami League and the Bangladesh National Party. Yunus promised his movement would seek to restore good governance and eliminate corruption. In May 2007, however, Yunus dropped his efforts to establish the party, citing a lack of support.

      Yunus's honours include Bangladesh's prestigious Independence Day Award (1987) and the World Food Prize (United States, 1994). He was the first recipient of the King Hussein Humanitarian Award (Jordan, 2000).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Muhammad Yunus — মুহাম্মদ ইউনুস Welfare economics , Development economics , Public Health , Gender Studies , Political Philosophy , Utilitarianism …   Wikipedia

  • Muhammad Yunus — Muhammad Yunus, 2006. Nom de naissance Muhammad Yunus Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Muhammad Yunus — Muhammad Yunus …   Wikipedia Español

  • Muhammad Iunus — Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (Dezember 2004) Muhammad Yunus (Bengalisch: মুহাম্মদ ইউনুস, Muhāmmad Iunus; * 28. Juni …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Muhammad Haidar Mirza (I) Dughlat — Muhammad Haidar Mirza was the Dughlat amir of Kashgar from c. 1465 until 1480[1]. He was the grandfather and namesake of the historian Muhammad Haidar Mirza[2] (1499/1500 1551). Contents 1 Life …   Wikipedia

  • Muhammad Yunus — (2006) Muhammad Yunus (Dezember 2004) Muhammad Y …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Yunus Khan — (c. 1416 ndash;1487) was Khan of Moghulistan from 1462 until his death. He was the eldest son of Vais Khan.When Vais Khan was killed in 1428, the Moghuls were split as to who should succeed him. Although Yunus Khan was his eldest son, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Yunus Khan — (* ca. 1415; † 1487) war ein namhafter Khan der Tschagatai Mongolen im 15. Jahrhundert. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 1.1 Herkunft und Jugend 1.2 Machtergreifung 1.3 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Muhammad ibn Ishaq — (‏محمد بن إسحاق‎, DMG Muḥammad b. Isḥāq) (* um 704 in Medina; † 767 oder 768 in Bagdad) war ein arabischer Historiker, bekannt vor allem durch seine Biographie über das Leben des Propheten Mohammed. Zunächst wirkte er in Medina; im Jahre 733… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Muhammad Yunus Nawandish — speaking in 2010 Engineer Muhammad Yunus Nawandish is the current mayor of Kabul, appointed at the start of 2010.[1] He is an ethnic Uzbek. Earlier, as of 2002 Nawandish served as Afghan Deputy Minister for Water and Power …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”