Microfinance continues to play an ever increasing role in approaches topoverty alleviation around the world. Yet despite the attention paid tomicrofinance, the design of credit contracts for small uncollateralized loansremains a bit of a mystery. From its inception, microfinance generated agreat...

This paper analyzes the theoretical underpinnings of high-frequency repayment, afeature in nearly all microfinance contracts that has been largely overlooked bytheorists. The pervasive belief among practitioners that frequent repayment is criticalin achieving high repayment rates is puzzling....

This paper analyzes the theoretical underpinnings of high-frequency repayment, a feature in nearly all microfinance contracts that has been largely overlooked by theorists. The pervasive belief among practitioners that frequent repayment is critical in achieving high repayment rates is puzzling....

Few micro…nance-funded businesses grow beyond subsistence entrepreneur-ship. This paper considers one possible explanation: that the structure ofexisting micro…nance contracts may discourage risky but high-expected returninvestments. To explore this possibility, I develop a theory that uni…es...

Individuals and business owners engage in an increasingly complex array of financialdecisions that are critical for their success and well-being. Yet a growing literature documentsthat in both developed and developing countries, a large fraction of the population is unpreparedto make these...

This paper investigates the relationship between inflation uncertainty and the investmentdecisions of small, micro…finance-funded …firms in the Dominican Republic. An extensive literature documents the array of opposing factors linking inflation uncertainty and investment;ultimately this...

We analyze optimal contracts and optimal matching patterns in a simple model of partnershipwhere there is a double-sided moral hazard problem and potential partners differ intheir productivity in two tasks. It is possible for one individual to accomplish both tasks (soleproduction) and there are...

The National Health Insurance Scheme (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, RSBY) aims to improve poor people’s access to quality health care in India. This paper looks at the implementation of the scheme in Karnataka, drawing on a large survey of eligible households and interviews with empanelled...

This paper analyzes an environment where a plotof land is currently under agricultural use under tenancy, andboth the landlord and the tenant can invest to enhance agricultural productivity. There is the possibility of converting theland to non-agricultural use. We analyze the incentives of...