Press Release

Expert Explores Microfinance

ATLANTA – As part of Oglethorpe University’s Microfinance and Social Investment Seminar, Claudio Gonzalez-Vega, director of the rural finance program and economics professor at The Ohio State University, will speak Thursday, February 14, at 4:30 p.m. in Lupton Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public.

This lecture is part of a series of interactive seminars, used to examine the role that microfinance, as popularized by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mohammad Yunus, has played in lifting millions out of poverty. As a measure of poverty, economists estimate that over one billion people in the world today live on less than the equivalent of $1 a day.

The course is a result of a unique collaboration between Atlanta-based Gray Matters Capital and Oglethorpe University. In addition to gaining insights into the causes and scope of poverty, students will analyze underlying economic theories related to growth and development. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to interact with micro-lenders and micro-enterprises in the Atlanta area and develop a service learning project.

Claudio Gonzalez-Vega is a Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. He is a recognized world leader in the analysis of rural financial markets and other finance and development questions. Two decades as professor, researcher and consultant have resulted in theoretical contributions and policy recommendations that have established Gonzalez-Vega as one of the world leaders in the field.

A reception will follow the lecture at 6:00 p.m. in the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art. For the complete lecture schedule, please click here. For more information please email pkower@oglethorpe.edu.