This study contributes to the micro-credit literature by addressing the lack of philosophical dialogue concerning the issue of trust between micro-credit NGOs and rural poor women. The study demonstrates that one of the root causes of NGOs’ contested roles in Bangladesh is the norm that they use (i.e., trust) to rationalize their micro-credit activities. I argue that Bangladeshi micro-credit NGOs’ trust in poor village women is not genuine because they resort to group responsibility sustained through aggressive surveillance. I maintain so by drawing on a trust-based theoretical framework that uses various philosophical insights. Drawing on the same conceptual framework, I also contend, somewhat softening the previous claim, that if micro-credit trust is trust at all, it is at most strategic, not generalized. For being strategic, it has many undermining effects on local social solidarity norms, rendering Bangladeshi micro-credit NGOs and strategic trust an odd couple with no moral compass. To bring forth the moral impetus in micro-credit activities, I lay out some recommendations intended for organizations, managers, and policymakers, consistent with normative corporate social responsibility initiatives. However, further studies can be initiated based on this paper, suggesting its importance for future research.

中文翻译：

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小额信贷非政府组织和战略信任：一对奇怪的夫妇？

本研究通过解决关于小额信贷非政府组织与农村贫困妇女之间信任问题缺乏哲学对话的问题，为小额信贷文献做出了贡献。该研究表明，非政府组织在孟加拉国的角色有争议的根本原因之一是它们使用（即信任）来合理化其小额信贷活动的规范。我认为孟加拉国的小额信贷非政府组织对贫困农村妇女的信任并不真实，因为她们诉诸于通过积极的监视维持的群体责任。我通过利用使用各种哲学见解的基于信任的理论框架来保持这一点。借鉴相同的概念框架，我还认为，在某种程度上软化了先前的主张，即如果小额信贷信任根本就是信任，它至多是战略性的，而不是概括性的。由于具有战略意义，它对当地社会团结规范有许多破坏性影响，使孟加拉国的小额信贷非政府组织和战略信任成为一对没有道德指南针的奇怪夫妇。为了在小额信贷活动中产生道德推动力，我提出了一些针对组织、管理者和决策者的建议，与规范的企业社会责任倡议相一致。然而，可以在本文的基础上开展进一步的研究，表明其对未来研究的重要性。