The turbulent 1830s saw a sequence of great political and social reforms in the United Kingdom. One such reform was the introduction of a locally funded Poor Law in Ireland. The development of a nascent welfare system in 1838 coincided with a boom in the formation of microfinance institutions in Ireland. The focus of this study is the expansion of a hybrid organizational form, Loan Fund Societies (LFSs), in the ten years prior to the Great Irish Famine of 1845–1849. LFSs were legally established with a conflictual structure: acting as commercially viable charitable institutions required to provide credit to the deserving poor (to enable them to be self-sufficient) while dedicating their “profits” to supporting the indigent poor. This study uses an analytical framework drawing inspiration from institutional logics to explore and better understand Irish microfinance in the early nineteenth century, a period of profound socioeconomic and socioreligious changes. It seeks to explain the factors that motivated the establishment and de-establishment of microfinance institutions amid this tumult. Legislative changes in LFS business parameters in 1843 made the tensions between being charitable and commercially sustainable salient; and, for some, it made continued existence untenable.

动荡的 1830 年代见证了英国一系列重大的政治和社会改革。其中一项改革是在爱尔兰引入了当地资助的济贫法。1838 年新兴福利体系的发展恰逢爱尔兰小额信贷机构的蓬勃发展。本研究的重点是在 1845-1849 年爱尔兰大饥荒之前的十年中，混合组织形式贷款基金协会 (LFS) 的扩展。LFS 在法律上建立时具有冲突的结构：充当商业上可行的慈善机构，需要为应得的穷人提供信贷（使他们能够自给自足），同时将其“利润”用于支持贫困的穷人。本研究使用从制度逻辑中汲取灵感的分析框架来探索和更好地理解 19 世纪初爱尔兰的小额信贷，这是一个社会经济和社会宗教发生深刻变化的时期。它试图解释在这场动荡中推动小额信贷机构建立和解体的因素。1843 年 LFS 商业参数的立法变化使得慈善和商业可持续之间的紧张关系变得突出。而且，对于一些人来说，它使继续存在变得难以为继。1843 年 LFS 商业参数的立法变化使得慈善和商业可持续之间的紧张关系变得突出。而且，对于一些人来说，它使继续存在变得难以为继。1843 年 LFS 商业参数的立法变化使得慈善和商业可持续之间的紧张关系变得突出。而且，对于一些人来说，它使继续存在变得难以为继。