The purpose of this article was to evaluate the efficiency of microfinance institutions in Brazil under two distinct approaches: financial and social. In terms of methodology, we used the technique of linear programming Data Envelopment Analysis - DEA applied to a sample of institutions listed in THE MIX database in the period 2008, 2009 and 2010, and Malmquist Index for analysis of changes in productivity and efficiency of the institutions over time. The results show higher levels of social efficiency compared to the financial for each year individually. The temporal analysis revealed an increase in productivity under both approaches. This increase reflected actual changes in technical efficiency in a greater extent in the social model and shifts of technological frontier in the financial model. Overall, these results indicate a greater homogeneity of the institutions with regard to strategies and practices related to social efficiency when compared with financial.
Finance; Microcredit; Economic development; Efficiency; Data Envelopment Analysis
