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on Microfinance |
| By: | Bocoum, Fadima (Institute de Recherche en Sciences de Santé (IRSS)); Grimm, Michael (University of Passau); Hartwig, Renate (University of Namur); Zongo, Nathalie (Association Songui Manégré- Aide au développement Endogène (ASMADE)) |
| Abstract: | In this paper we analyze the impact of a randomized information package on the understanding and uptake of community based health insurance. The information package consists of a detailed brochure which is distributed to households through home visits, a video also presented in people's homes and a personalized phone reminder. Overall, we find significant treatment effects on insurance uptake at the margin, although insurance uptake is low in general. We also find evidence for a better understanding of insurance principles among treated households, in particular in poorer households and in households with literate household heads. Finally, we see that treated households share the information they received with their neighbors and this also has positive effects on their understanding of insurance principles. We find further suggestive evidence that information sharing remains locally concentrated and does not surpass a radius of 1 km. Our findings contribute to the understanding how knowledge about the functioning of insurance can be enhanced in a context where the concept of insurance is largely unknown and where strong cultural beliefs prevail, and eventually, how insurance uptake can be increased, although the latter may take more time. |
| Keywords: | health insurance, take-up, encouragement design, learning, financial education |
| JEL: | D83 G22 I13 M31 O33 |
| Date: | 2017–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10744&r=mfd |
| By: | Anthanasius Fomum Tita; Meshach Jesse Aziakpono |
| Abstract: | Over two decades sub-Saharan Africa has grown an average by 4.8% per annum. A trend called “Africa rising in the literature†but this robust economic growth seem to have benefited only a minority of elite individuals as poverty in the region remains high and income inequality continues to rise. Critics attribute this to a lack of financial inclusion. This study analyses the relationship between various aspects of financial inclusion and income inequality in sub-Saharan African using the Findex 2011 dataset with the intention to determine which aspects of financial inclusion have the greatest effect on income inequality.Our results show that formal account use for business, electronic payments and formal savings have a positive relationship with income inequality. This possibly reflects the low level of financial inclusion in the region. Furthermore, the positive relationship may suggest that owning a formal account does not necessarily lead to improvement in access to credit. That is, most of the account owners are likely first time users and problems such as moral hazard and information asymmetries, which are associated with a lack of financial infrastructure in the region still holds. This is likely to encourage banks to hold excess liquidity and thus grant fewer loans. The study accordingly recommends efforts to increase financial inclusion as well as reduce excess liquidity in the banking system through the development of financial infrastructure in order to encourage banks to support economic activities through lending. |
| Keywords: | financial inclusion, financial institutions, financial services, welfare and poverty |
| JEL: | D6 G2 O1 I3 |
| Date: | 2017–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rza:wpaper:679&r=mfd |
| By: | Lina Cardona-Sosa (Banco de la República de Colombia); Carlos Medina (Banco de la República de Colombia); Jairo Nuñez Méndez (BID-Asobancaria) |
| Abstract: | Se estima un modelo de regresión discontinua para identificar el efecto del programa de transferencias condicionadas Familias en Acción sobre el acceso al crédito del sector financiero formal en los hogares beneficiarios del área urbana. Se encuentra que el acceso al crédito se incrementa en 3.5 pp, esto es, un 15% en relación a la probabilidad de tener crédito entre los hogares no beneficiarios del programa. El crédito en bancos se incrementa en 2.35 pp, esto es, un 11.7% en relación al grupo de control, y, los hogares beneficiarios tienen crédito con el sector financiero formal 0.44 trimestres más que los hogares no beneficiarios, esto es, 1.3 (14.2%) meses adicionales. Por género, serían las mujeres que viven en hogares beneficiarios del programa, quienes gracias al mismo tienen un acceso al crédito 5.3 pp superior, esto es, una probabilidad un 50% mayor de tener un crédito que las mujeres en hogares no beneficiarios del programa. Respecto a la tasa de interés pagada por los créditos con el sector financiero formal, los hogares beneficiarios pagan una tasa de interés 1.5 pp inferior a la que pagan los hogares no beneficiarios, esto es, una tasa 6% por debajo que la pagada por hogares no beneficiarios. No obstante lo anterior, el monto promedio de los créditos no tiene un diferencial importante entre hogares beneficiarios y no beneficiarios del programa FA en el área urbana. Classification JEL: E51, H23, G21, J24. |
| Keywords: | Crédito, transferencias condicionadas, bancarización, educación. |
| Date: | 2017–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdr:borrec:995&r=mfd |
| By: | Camille Meyer; Marek Hudon |
| Abstract: | The commons are alternative social and economic practices for fostering community development and regeneration. While the role of finance is increasingly criticized as a trigger for individualism, community currencies (CCs) are one of the financial initiatives that aim to reorganize finance in the collective interest. We analyze to what extent these alternative systems allow finance to constitute common goods, or ‘commons’. To this end, we investigate the commoning practices through which resources are created, distributed and consumed in a way that promotes new collectives. We analyze the extent to which CCs can be considered as commons. Our findings suggest that, although these monetary services are privately used and consumed, they have strong collective attributes such as community-building as well as the insertion of solidarity and cooperative values in money. Finally, we inquire into the limits and ambiguities of these alternatives relative to the capitalist system. |
| Keywords: | Commons; Commoning; Community currencies; Complementary currencies; Ethics in finance |
| JEL: | O16 G21 D61 G32 F21 |
| Date: | 2017–05–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sol:wpaper:2013/250906&r=mfd |