Balkenhol

Bernd Balkenhol directs the ILO’s Social Finance Program (SFP), which observes, records and evaluates initiatives to use financial instruments and institutions for decent work. The focus is on innovations in finance that create jobs, help manage risk and organize the poor.  Prior to this Bernd served as technical advisor to the central bank of West African States (BCEAO) on SME financing. In that framework he helped develop a course for the central bank’s training institute COFEB on commercial bank financing of African SMEs. This led to the publication by Harmattan of 16 case studies on small enterprise finance in Africa. He holds a  PhD from Freiburg University in Germany and a MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Medford, Mass.) He lectures at the Geneva Institute of Development Studies and the University of Geneva. His latest book (“Microfinance and Public Policy”, Palgrave Macmillan) reviews the conditions for smart subsidies to microfinance institutions. He has served on the Executive Committee of CGAP and is Founding President of the Swiss Microfinance Platform.