We study theoretically and empirically the demand for micro-credit under different liability arrangements and risk environments. A simple theoretical model shows that the demand for joint-liability loans can exceed that for individual-liability loans when risk-averse borrowers value their...

Using a novel enterprise survey from Kenya (FinAccess Business), we document a strong positive association between the use of mobile money as a method to pay suppliers and access to trade credit. We develop a dynamic general equilibrium model with heterogeneous entrepreneurs, imperfect credit...

We design a field experiment to study the relationship between neglect of compound interest and pension contributions in rural China. We randomly assigned some households to a financial education treatment, emphasizing the concept of compound interest. This treatment increased the pension...

We use a representative survey of the Turkish household sector and investigate the determinants of saving-borrowing decisions. We use the same set of regressors to account for the impact of economic and demographic factors on the choices involved. Thus we run four probit regressions to elucidate...

In this paper, we use provincial panel data on China for the 2002-19 period to conduct a spatial autocorrelation analysis of household saving rates as well as a dynamic panel analysis of the determinants of household saving rates using a spatial Durbin model. To summarize our main findings, we...

Potential fraud can limit the promise of innovative mobile financial markets like Mobile Money, yet little is known about its existence, especially among the poor. In a randomized control trial across 6 low-income communities in Ghana, I evaluate the extent of fraud — overcharged transactions...

We ran a field experiment to investigate whether nudge policies, consisting in behavioural insight messaging, help to improve performance in financial trading. Our experiment involved students enrolled in a financial trading course in an Italian University who were invited to trade on Borsa...

Bayesian hierarchical models serve as a standard methodology for aggregation and synthesis, used widely in statistics and other disciplines. I use this framework to aggregate the data from seven randomised experiments of expanding access to microcredit, assessing both the general impact of the...

While various empirical studies have found negative growth-effects of natural disasters, little is yet known about the microeconomic channels through which disasters might affect short- and especially long-term growth. This paper contributes to filling this gap in the literature by studying how...

While various empirical studies have found negative growth-effects of natural disasters, little is yet known about the microeconomic channels through which disasters might affect short- and especially long-term growth. This paper contributes to filling this gap in the literature by studying how...