This handbook consists of 20 chapters, including the introduction and conclusion
written by the editors. The bulk of the chapters are national case
studies exploring the nature of microcredit in each country. It is intended
that the majority will be examined in detail (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Spain, United Kingdom) with a further chapter discussing those nations
with less extensive microcredit markets (the Netherlands, Luxembourg,
Norway, Sweden and Denmark). Each of the national case study chapters
has a similar format, enabling the reader to compare key characteristics
easily. Each begins with a contextual discussion that assesses the prevailing
social welfare ideology and how this has informed policy