4. Contribution of Islamic Microfinance Studies in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030 and reduce at least half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions. This chapter reviews extant empirical studies in the area of Islamic microfinance in orderto analyse the contribution of Islamic microfinance to SDGs by mapping research direction on the SDGs. The studies are categorized based on the discussion on research paradigm, countries being researched, methods employed and results that lead to action for achieving MDGs and SDGs. It finds that the studies under review mostly employ poststructuralism and interpretivism paradigm with countries being researched are mostly Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. Finally, the chapter offers insights on future research aiming to promote the achievements and issues faced in the implementation of SDGs.