PEOPLE-CENTERED CREDIT SYSTEMS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: THE NEED FOR REGIONAL NETWORKS Regional Networks: Beyond Credit While access to adequate credit does have far reaching effects on the socio- economic condition of a low-income household, it is clear that the model of regional networks outlined above can also be duplicated for other purposes. They can operate at the social, economic and political levels encompassing a wide variety of patterns of relations among the actors and their actions. Thus programs and projects in education, health, trade and commerce, industry etc. can be facilitated by such networks. The key advantage of operating at the regional level is that they enable a larger number of people to be reached. It also increases the intensity and outreach of the actors and their actions, overcoming individual and local shortcomings. This coming together of the peoples can, in fact, generate externalities of its own. Go to the next section Return to the Table of contents Return to the Virtual Library on Microcredit