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on Financial Literacy and Education |
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Issue of 2026–03–30
three papers chosen by Viviana Di Giovinazzo, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca |
| By: | Lwanga Elizabeth Nanziri; Paul Terna Gbahabo; Daniel Ofori-Sasu |
| Abstract: | This study examines the effect of open banking on financial inclusion in South Africa. |
| Date: | 2026–03–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rbz:wpaper:11100 |
| By: | Alfred Michel Nandnaba (UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne) |
| Abstract: | While armed conflict remains a major impediment to economic and political stability in developing countries, the potential role of digital financial inclusion, particularly mobile money, in mitigating violent conflict remains largely unexplored. This article examines the impact of mobile money adoption on armed conflict across 103 developing countries from 2000 to 2020, using the Entropy Balancing method to address selection bias. The findings show that mobile money significantly reduces violent conflicts, with an average decrease of 282 conflict-related deaths. These results remain robust across various sensitivity checks, including alternative model specifications, instrumental variable techniques to account for the reverse causality, and analyses of dynamic and spillover effects. The study also highlights important heterogeneity in the impact depending on the type of mobile money service, the country's level of development, the duration of the conflict, financial sector development, and geographic region. Moreover, it identifies key economic channels, including income, unemployment, inequality, and consumption volatility, through which mobile money contributes to the reduction of violent conflict. These findings underscore the strategic importance of digital financial services for promoting peace and fostering economic development in low- and middle- income countries. |
| Keywords: | Developing countries, Entropy Balancing, Mobile Money, Violent conflicts |
| Date: | 2026–03–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04566893 |
| By: | Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Mesfin, Hiwot Mekonnen; Mulford, Michael; Tesfaye, Haleluya |
| Abstract: | Multifaceted graduation models are a promising strategy to sustainably reduce poverty, yet evidence on their effects on child undernutrition remains limited. This randomized controlled trial evaluated a nutrition-sensitive graduation model combining village economic and savings associations, peer-led behavior change communication, and maternal cash transfers (and for a subset, lump-sum livelihoods transfers) implemented among ultra-poor households in rural Ethiopia. The model without maternal cash transfers improved maternal nutrition knowledge and financial inclusion but did not generate meaningful changes in children’s diets or growth. Supplementing the pro-gram with maternal cash transfers produced at least moderate improvements in child diet quality, early childhood development, household consumption, and assets. The largest improvements in child growth occurred among households receiving both the livelihoods grant and maternal cash transfers. Overall, the results suggest that coupling behavior change communication and livelihoods support with sufficient financial support is critical for achieving meaningful progress in both economic well-being and child nutrition. |
| Keywords: | models; nutrition; children; livelihoods; poverty; child nutrition; Ethiopia; Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2025–12–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:gsspwp:179205 |