Household survey data for 1983-2000 from India's National Sample Survey Organisation are used to examine the impact of credit on self-employment among men and women in rural labour households. Results indicate that credit access encourages women's self-employment as own-account workers and...

This paper studies the benefits of participation in micro-finance programs, where benefits are measured in terms of the ability to smooth the effect of seasonal shocks that cause consumption fluctuations. It is shown that although membership in these programs is an effective instrument in...

Although agriculture is the main occupation in rural Nepal, evidence suggests that households strive to diversify their sources of income. This paper investigates why this is the case. Using household data from the World Bank and information on rainfall for the various rural districts of Nepal,...