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PresentationIn Latin America, both microfinance and the so-called &#8216;New Left&#8217; governments have originally emerged as a reaction to the perceived negative consequences of neo-liberal free market policies. Despite this common origin, the relationships between the often quite substantial microfinance industry and the &#8216;New Left&#8217; governments are not always as smooth and cooperative as one might expect (see article B&#233;d&#233;carrats, et al, 2011). Microfinance largely represents a private-civic response to the deficiencies of the market. Banking with the poor is held to contribute to more inclusive economic growth as well as to popular (and in particular female) empowerment. The &#8216;New Left&#8217; governments all express the return of an active state, which not only guarantees the functioning of the market economy, but is also engaged in changing economic pathways in favour of the excluded majorities, or at least correcting them with more substantial social spending.Stand-alone microfinance faces increasing (self)criticism for being an insufficient answer to the challenges of inclusive social development and for suffering from excessive commercialization and mission drift, showing more concern for the profit of investors than the welfare of poor clients and even less for the required structural change needed to reverse inequity. As a reaction, new codes of conduct as well as alternative approaches such as &#8216;value chain microfinance&#8217; and &#8216;Finance Plus&#8217; are experimented with. At the same time, doubts and questions emerge about the social and political expectations raised by the &#8216;New Left&#8217; governments. To what extent and in what way do they promote structural changes in the economy? What does the much publicised concept of the &#8216;social economy&#8217; as a kind of popular &#8216;third way&#8217; in between market and state really imply, and how and when does it promote alternative economic pathways that permit more equal sharing of income? Does &#8216;new left&#8217; direct political participation strengthen the autonomy and voice of excluded groups (and their social movements) and/or does it lead to clientelistic cooptation within authoritarian political rule?The conference brings a number of stakeholders from the microfinance sector, social and political movements, New Left governments as well as academics together in order to discuss and clarify these issues. We expect to contribute to a common frame of analysis and to identify avenues for a more fruitful articulation of microfinance strategies with the emancipatory agendas of Latin American governments and social movements.The conference is a joint organisation of the Latin American and Caribbean Forum for Rural Finance (FOROLACFR), the French Microfinance Network CERISE (Comit&#233; d&#8217;&#201;change, de R&#233;flexion et d&#8217;information sur les Syst&#232;mes &#201;pargne- Cr&#233;dit), the Center for European Research in Microfinance (CERMI, Mons University) and the Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB, University of Antwerp)http://www.ua.ac.be/iob/microfinancewww.ua.ac.be/iob/microfinanzasVenue : Meeting Room Province of Antwerp, 12-13 November 2012ProgramDAY 1: &#8216;MICROFINANCE&#8217; AND &#8216;NEW LEFT&#8217; IN A DIVERSITY OF LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXTSMICROFINANCE AND &#160; THE CHALLENGE OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN LATIN &#160; AMERICA9:00 - 9:45Status quaestionis: perspectives from microfinanceJohan BastiaensenFlorent B&#233;d&#233;carrats9:45 - 10:30The agenda of &#160; socio-political transformation: social movements, democracy and the &#8216;New &#160; Left&#8217;Evelina Dagnino10:30 - 10:45Break&#160;10:45 - 11:30The agenda of &#160; socio-economic transformation under the New Left: microfinance and the &#160; &#8216;social and solidary economy&#8217;Jos&#233; Luis Coraggio11:30 - 12:30Plenum discussion&#160;&#160;Microfinance and &#160; New Left Governments : round tables about country experiences14:00 - 14:30Trends and &#160; tensions in the development of microfinance in Latin AmericaMarc LabieAnnabel Vanroose14:30 - 15:10BoliviaJos&#233; AuadMarcelo ZabalagaCarmen VelascoFlorent B&#233;d&#233;carrats15:10 - 15:50EcuadorJavier VacaJos&#233; Luis CoraggioFran&#231;ois Doligez&#160;Break&#160;16:00 - 16:40NicaraguaJulio FloresRene MendozaPeter Marchetti16:40 - 17:20BrasilTBC : Banco do &#160; Nor-Este &#160; Miguel Assis do Couto Evelina Dagnino&#160; Andrea Dominguez17:20 - 18:00Plenum&#160;DAY 2: CHALLENGES FOR MICROFINANCEIntroduction : &#160; The challenges for microfinance in the new context?9:00 - 9:20The challenges &#160; for microfinance in the new context: a framework of analysisFlorent B&#233;d&#233;carrats&#160;Session 1 From the &#160; critique of microfinance towards a constructive strategy for microfinance &#160; development9:20 - 9:50Microfinance &#160; InLatin America: Undermining Sustainable Local Economic Development. (Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia)Milford Bateman9:50 - 10:20The struggle &#160; over rural microfinance in Nicaragua and its paradoxical outcomes for &#160; SME-based developmentRene MendozaJohan &#160; BastiaensenPeter MarchettiBREAK&#160;&#160;10:30 - 11:00CRESOL in &#160; Brasil: articulating financial cooperatives with a broader cooperative &#160; movement and the Brazilian governmentMiguel Assis do Couto11:00 - 11:30PROMUJER: &#160; providing microcredit, savings, business training and health services to strengthen &#160; women&#8217;s livelihoods and community organizationCarmen Velasco11:30 - 12:30Plenum discussion&#160;Session 2 Trends and &#160; challenges for public policies in microfinance for development: regulation &#160; and beyond14:00 - 14:30Comparative &#160; analysis of Latin American (micro)finance regulationVeronica TrujilloFernando Rodriguez or Victoria Muriel Patino 14:30 - 15:00Innovations and &#160; current debate about financial regulation in Latin AmericaMarcelo Zabalaga15:00 - 15:30Public policies, &#160; microfinance and (rural) developmentCarolina Trivelli15:30 - 15:40Comment: reflections of &#160; FOROLACFR on Public Policies, microfinance and (rural) developmentIsabel Cruz15:40 - 15:50Short discussion (for clarification)&#160;Session 3 How to advance &#160; towards constructive cooperation within the agenda of social transformation &#160; and poverty reduction?16:00 - 16:20Status QuaestionisPeter Marchetti16:20 - 17:30Panel &#38; plenum discussionMarcelo ZabalagaMiguel Assis do &#160; CoutoIsabel CruzCarolina TrivelliFlorent B&#233;d&#233;carrats (=moderator)&#160;