Faculty Research

According to Genevieve O’Connor, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at the Gabelli School, these findings are based on feedback from more than 30 recipients of microloans awarded through a program sponsored by AMPO International, a nonprofit organization that provides housing for children, healthcare clinics, and many other social services to residents of Burkina Faso, a country rife with political unrest—one in which 40% of the population live below the poverty line.

“Participants also learn skills to help better position themselves to be banked,” O’Connor said, such as money management and financial planning. “The findings suggest that the social support aspect of the program is invaluable to success.”

The research project, led by O’Connor and Yuliya Komarova, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing, in collaboration with three colleagues from industry and other academic institutions, aims to better understand the impact of microcredits.

“The study explores the well-being outcomes of micro-credit recipients, such as their financial stability, health, independence, literacy, and overall quality of life,” O’Connor explained. “We are also interested in the potential spillover effects of micro-credit success stories, examining how those who thrive through these interventions share their experiences and whether these narratives inspire further community participation.”

The uses of the microloans vary dramatically, from small business operations, such as selling mangoes on the street to shops that make handcrafted items and clothing to eateries. “The money often goes toward buying enough food to prepare the meals to be sold,” Komarova said. “Importantly, we find evidence of microloans enabling sustainable innovation, whereby many loan recipients launch profitable enterprises and successfully repay their loans on time.”

In light of the finding, the researchers will “delve deeper into operational practices as well as downstream effects of the program,” she added.

On a broader scale, O’Connor and Komarova seek to raise global awareness of AMPO to help strengthen the organization’s brand and outreach. To that end, they have been working closely with Joachim Schlange, (GABELLI ’82), president of the Katrin Rhode Foundation, which supports AMPO initiatives, and both have been appointed to the board of the organization.

The seeds for the comprehensive research project were sown in 2022 when O’Connor learned about AMPO through her work with Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL). She used AMPO as the subject of case study consulting projects in her Consumer Behavior and Strategic Branding classes, and her students were eager to get involved in the real-world, hands-on assignments. Since then, students and alumni have embraced opportunities to support AMPO’s meaningful work, including Ila Srivastava, (GABELLI ’19), a business analytics and insights manager at Microsoft, who is involved in data analytics, developing social media ads, and assisting with AMPO’s website.

Looking ahead, Komarova said, “We are hopeful that we can broaden our collaboration with AMPO along a number of existing and new pathways, including potentially establishing research and internship opportunities for our students.”