Person:
Goldberg, Michael J.

Global Practice Strategy and Operations, The World Bank

Fields of Specialization

Private sector development; microfinance; business development; small enterprise development

Departments

Global Practice Strategy and Operations, The World Bank

Last updated: January 31, 2023

Biography

Mike Goldberg started his career as a Peace Corps Small Business Volunteer. He also worked for CARE Guatemala, and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor. With the World Bank since 1992, he has worked in East Asia, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as a microfinance and small business development expert. Over the past four years, he has also served as a senior operations officer for the Latin America Region and as an operations adviser in the Development Effectiveness Unit of the Africa Vice Presidency. He was also the Regional Learning Coordinator for Africa, offering technical and operational clinics, workshops and face-to-face courses – always with emphasis on practical solutions and participation. He holds a Bachelors degree from Johns Hopkins, a Masters in economic development from The Fletcher School (Tufts) and an MBA/MSF from Drexel University.

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Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

How Firms Cope with Crime and Violence : Experiences from around the World
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014-01) Goldberg, Michael; Ariano, Maria
Crime and violence inflict high costs on the private sector—costs that are rising globally, according to the World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys, discussions with chambers and associations, and the Bank’s Country Partnership Strategies, which reference the losses in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). In Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, losses due to crime and violence have been estimated at 9 percent of GDP in Honduras, 7.7 percent in El Salvador, and 3.6 percent in Costa Rica. In sectors such as clothing assembly, international purchasers can shift know-how and capital quickly to less violent destinations, while other sectors such as extractive industries are more likely to stay despite rising violence. Behind the statistics are human costs: lost jobs; shifting of businesses’ working capital from productive uses to security firms; and an increase in contraband, fraud and corruption, and “rule of law” issues. In this book, original case studies from Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico, Nepal, and Rwanda illustrate the specific challenges to businesses and the coping mechanisms that firms and groups of firms have used successfully against crime and violence. The book’s findings have implications for the private sector, governments, and the World Bank’s efforts to support both under difficult circumstances.
Micro Insurance Matters in Latin America
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-11) Ramanathan, C.S.; Goldberg, Mike
This note discusses the rapidly evolving issue of micro insurance in Latin America and how microfinance institutions (MFIs), insurance companies and donors can respond to its challenges. This note is part of a series summarizing the Department of International Development-Latin American Markets and International Trade Program (DFID-LAMIT) eight-part distance learning program with South American microfinance networks and government officials. This note addresses three critical questions about micro insurance in Latin America. 1) What is micro insurance? 2) Is micro insurance a very useful way for low income households to manage their risks? 3) What are the challenges for expanded coverage of commercial micro insurance in Latin America, and what can governments, donors and investors do to help?
Microfinance and Disasters : Preparing for the Worst
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-12) Varada, Sunita; Goldberg, Mike
This note discusses natural disaster preparation and how microfinance institutions (MFIs) and their staffs can respond. It is part of a series that summarizes a distance learning series with South American microfinance networks and government officials. Preparation for disaster includes understanding the risks and costs of disasters, establishing proactive approaches and concrete responses, and knowing the resources and partnerships that may prove helpful in an emergency.
Microleasing : Overcoming Equipment Financing Barriers
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-12) Goldberg, Mike
As their businesses grow, many microbusiness owners would like to purchase new machinery from a microfinance institution (MFI), since such equipment can hold the key to increasing production. However, MFIs are often not able or willing to lend for longer periods of time, with grace periods that long term lending for machinery requires. Long term financing from other sources is usually not feasible, since banks and leasing companies require collateral, a well-documented credit history and financial statements. For many microbusinesses, leasing could provide an effective alternative to taking on more debt. This note reviews financial and operational leasing, describes two microleasing experiences in Latin America, identifies risks, and provides recommendations for launching a micro-leasing program.
Managing Risk and Creating Value with Microfinance
(World Bank, 2010) Goldberg, Mike; Palladini, Eric
This report brings together the results of an eight-part series of presentations by leading experts in issues directly related to microfinance institutional sustainability. It is intended for microfinance institution (MFI) board members, managers, and staff members as well as for government regulators, supervisors, and donor staff members. The first four chapters include topics in risk management: (1) risk management systems, (2) good governance, (3) interest rates, and (4) micro-insurance. The last four chapters include four topics in new product development and efficient delivery methodologies: (5) housing microfinance, (6) micro-leasing, (7) disaster preparedness products and systems, and (8) new technologies. The objectives of the series were as follows: i) to strengthen MFIs by disseminating innovative approaches in risk management, cost control, governance, and new technologies; ii) to promote a South-South exchange of experiences and lessons learned; iii) to promote greater ties among the MFIs in the region and between MFIs and government supervisors and regulators; and iv) to highlight the Bank's ability to mobilize international technical expertise in microfinance.
Chile : A Strategy to Promote Innovative Small and Medium Enterprises
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-02) Goldberg, Mike; Palladini, Eric
With its strong export orientation and emphasis on competitiveness, the Chilean economic model has been the envy of its neighbors for more than a decade. However, there are underlying vulnerabilities. Historically, exports have been concentrated in mining and agriculture, sectors dominated by large firms that do not generate a large share of employment. Small and medium enterprises play a key role in employment generation and economic decentralization in Chile, yet their employment was stagnant between 2000 and 2004. Based on work completed in 2003, this study provides a review of the Chilean government's substantial investment in programs that support small and medium enterprises. This review of government programs confirms the importance of coordination and an overarching strategy, in the form of a National Innovation System, led by a single institution. The review also finds that demand-driven programs were more likely to be sustainable. Finally, the study demonstrates that Chile (and other countries with many support programs for small and medium enterprises in place) needs an integrated management information system to analyze, assess, coordinate, and streamline the program portfolio for small and medium enterprises in the future.
Strategic Alliances to Scale Up Financial Services in Rural Areas
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006) Gallardo, Joselito; Goldberg, Michael; Randhawa, Bikki
Firms have employed strategic alliances with other firms to effectively manage costs, overcome resource and technology constraints, and enhance competitive position. Strategic alliances can lead to productive institutional collaborations in rural financial markets, thereby expanding the array of financial products, and scaling up access of rural households and micro-businesses to financial services. Strategic alliances comprise a new theme in rural finance. The institutions in the study used strategic alliances to tap new capital resources, manage transaction costs, access banking technology and infrastructure, and acquire new skills to provide an expanding array of financial services to wider markets. The authors carefully examine the experiences of selected rural finance institutions, and their strategic allies or development partners in Guatemala, the Philippines, Ghana, and India to draw out the main findings and share lessons that may be applied in other country settings. The study addressed a number of key questions: What motivated the rural finance institution to structure its alliance or partnership with a bank, commercial, or development organization? How are gains from and costs of alliances and partnerships shared between collaborating institutions? What are the key elements that make partnerships or alliances successful, and which conditions lead to unproductive ones? Which financial products and services are best introduced through strategic alliances?
Building a Dialogue to Promote Microfinance Best Practices in South America
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-08) Goldberg, Mike; Palladini, Eric
This note provides a summary of how the Bank established an eight-part distance learning series for dialogue with South American micro-financing institutions (MFIs). The objectives of the dialogues were to: (1) highlight the Bank's ability to mobilize international technical expertise in microfinance; (2) strengthen MFIs by disseminating new knowledge and technological best practices; (3) promote the sharing of experiences and lessons learned; and (4) promote greater ties among the MFIs in the region. The events became an ongoing forum to provide technical assistance to microfinance networks in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
From Financial Exclusion to Inclusion : Increasing the Availability of Credit to the Urban Poor in Latin America
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-11) Gwinner, William Britt; Goldberg, Michael J.; Solo, Tova Maria; Didoni, Alberto
This is the second of two articles that draw on the results of recent studies of the links between financial services and low income communities in Latin America. While the focus remains on the nature and inherent costs of financial exclusion for the unbanked -- those without basic deposit and transaction accounts, this article focuses on access to credit and on some of the efforts that have been made to increase the availability of credit services to the urban poor. It closes by describing ways in which World Bank projects could support increased private sector lending for community development, including housing, home improvement, and basic physical and social infrastructure as well as micro and small business lending.