This paper measures the over-indebtedness of microborrowers in Ghana. It defines over-indebtedness from a customer-protection perspective, considering borrowers over-indebted if they continuously struggle with repayment and experience unacceptable sacrifices related to their debt. We find that...

This paper analyses the over-indebtedness of microborrowers in Ghana. It defines over-indebtedness from a customer protection perspective and considers borrowers over-indebted if they continuously struggle with repayment and experience unacceptable sacrifices related to their debt. It finds that...

In the past, the microfinance industry focused mainly on growth and outreach. Addressing financial exclusion implied a huge supply gap. Recent over-indebtedness crises in several countries have shown that this gap can turn into over-supply. The industry urgently requires research to understand...

Given a panel of oil producing countries, we show that a higher oil concentration is associated with an increase in economic growth through capital efficiency in: (i) countries with medium and low income per head from East Asia & Pacific and Latin America & the Caribbean, classified as followers...

This study re-evaluates the impact of natural resources on growth using panel data and a factor-efficiency accounting framework. The resource-curse thesis is dismissed as capital efficiency is improved by geographically-concentrated natural resources, which hinder institutional quality in recent...

In this study we re-evaluate the impact of natural resources on economic growth. The reassessment is based on a growth model where, using panel-data analysis, natural-resource variables (geographically diffused and concentrated) affect the efficiency gains of labour and capital in production. We...

The microfinance industry has been celebrated both for its social impact on poverty alleviation and for its profitability. With issues of over-indebtedness emerging among microfinance customers, both achievements are at risk. This paper contributes to the industry's understanding of the...

This study shows that the cross-section “curse” result found with oil abundance indicators for producing countries disappears in a panel estimation considering the most important growth factors. This happens even excluding institutional quality, which is hindered by oil and ores abundance in...

We use an extensive dataset on occupational wages to measure the manufacturing skill premium and evaluate the importance of the main drivers in literature plus the effects of natural resources and institutions. Results, regarding a panel of 21 countries between 1987 and 2003, suggest the...