tilburg law review 19 (2014) 90-97 brill.com/tilr Statelessness and Microfinance Can Microfinance Improve the Living Conditions of the Stateless? Brian P. Colgan colganbp@gmail.com Ondřej Kolínský ondrej.kolinsky@gmail.com Abstract This paper studies how microfinance can operate in stateless communities and whether it can have a positive long-term impact on such a clientele. First, the principles of microfinance are presented and linked to the needs of the stateless. Then a project realised in Bhutanese refugee camps is described as a good practice example and its relevance for other stateless groups is discussed. It is concluded that microfinance programmes may need specific forms tailored for various cases but that these projects would very likely be feasible and can be expected to bring positive, long-term effects. Keywords statelessness – microfinance – poverty alleviation – Bidoon – Roma – Bhutanese refugees 1 Introduction Microfinance has long been heralded as a means through which the poor can grow themselves out of poverty. It generally does not include any formal identification procedure or enforceable contract so, at first glance, it could be a perfect option for the stateless. The present study aims to analyse this initial assumption in detail. This is done by first identifying the general features of microfinance for the stateless and then dealing with particular cases where * Both authors were researchers with the Statelessness Programme at Tilburg University. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2014 | doi 10.1163/22112596-01902010