Global microscope on the microfinance business environment 2012

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Regional representation
This index builds on earlier studies of Latin America
and the Caribbean; as a result, countries from that
region are numerically over-represented in the
global Microscope study (21 of 55 countries).
Countries in other regions were selected on the
basis of the importance of their existing
microfi nance sectors or the potential for future
market development. The study therefore provides
differing levels of geographic coverage: 11
countries were selected from Sub-Saharan Africa,
fi ve from South Asia, seven from East Asia, four
from the Middle East and North Africa, and seven
from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. These
differences in coverage impact regional
conclusions and should be considered carefully
when evaluating index results beyond individual
country scores.
Weights
Assigning weights to categories and indicators is a
fi nal and critical step in the construction of the
index. In previous versions of this index, the three
principal categories were weighted based on a
consensus of the main research and funding
organisations. The categories Regulatory
Framework and Institutional Development were each
weighted 40%, while Investment Climate was
weighted 20%. In the 2011 and 2012 model, the
Regulatory Framework and Practices and Supporting
Institutional Framework categories are each
weighted 50%.
© The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2012
<strong>Global</strong> <strong>microscope</strong> on the microfi nance business environment 2012