We study a micro-finance program that provides compulsory health insurance to its borrowers and their spouses. We find that the non-borrowing spouses are less likely to file insurance claims than those who are borrowing. Further, a man is more likely to use the health insurance acquired through...

One main advantage of having developed credit markets is that there are better opportunities of dealing with risk. This paper measures access to credit in rural India and the role of credit institutions as insurance mechanisms. I am able to do this by comparing data for 720 rural households that...

The net impact of development interventions can depend on the availability of close substitutes to the intervention. We analyze a randomized trial of an innovative anti-poverty program in South India which provides “ultra-poor” households with inputs to create a new, sustainable livelihood....

The MSME sector has often been termed the ‘engine of growth' for developing economies. We begin with an overview of this sector in India and look at some recent trends which highlight the development and significance of this sector vis-à-vis the Indian economy. Over the last few years, there...

Our analysis shows that it is premature to dismiss the health insurance initiatives based on the existing analysis because these schemes perform better with time. This could be due to supply side factors such as improved implementation or demand side factors such as awareness of the scheme and...

This paper provides evidence that access to saving instruments directly improves access to credit. In a typical framework, households borrow, invest and then repay loan with interest. If households can save without difficulty, they should be able to follow any repayment frequency. However, in...

This paper analyses household cash management and provides evidence that a household's access to credit is directly improved by its savings. Households that are unable to save tie loan repayment to cash flows and repay as soon as money is earned. We find that income frequency increases loan...

We present results from a randomized trial of an innovative anti-poverty program in India. Instead of a safety net, the program provides “ultra-poor” households with inputs to create a new livelihood and attain economic independence. We find no statistically significant evidence of lasting...

The net impact of development interventions can depend on the availability of close substitutes to the intervention. We analyze a randomized trial of an innovative anti-poverty program in South India which provides “ultra-poor” households with inputs to create a new, sustainable livelihood....