Chapter 56 Rural Financial Markets in Developing Countries

This review examines portions of the vast literature on rural financial markets and household behavior in the face of risk and uncertainty and limited commitment. In addition to examining household strategies and bilateral contracting we place particular emphasis on studying the important role of financial intermediaries, competition and regulation in shaping the changing structure and organization of rural markets. Our goal is to provide a framework within which the evolution of financial intermediation in rural economies can be understood.