What a Mess!: An Economic Examination of an Apartment’s Personal and Shared Spaces

welfare, employment, urban development, financial education, and not least to develop the self-esteem of people excluded from ordinary economic activity. It is used to advance business initiatives by private individuals seeking to earn their living through independent work. The primary purpose of microlending is therefore not banking.” The model established by the Grameen Bank encourages women in rural areas to form small groups that the Bank lends to and then uses the pressure of the group to Thirty years ago Muhammad Yunus founded the Grameen Bank to make small loans to women in rural India so they could start their own business and work their way out of poverty. Three months ago he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for this work and its expansion to other parts of the world. This award is as much recognition of his work as it is of microfinance’s increasing role in global poverty alleviation.