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The Cost of Convenience?: Transaction Costs, Bargaining Power, and Savings Account Use in Kenya

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  • Simone Schaner

Abstract

Individuals across the world use high-transaction-cost savings devices even when lower-cost technologies are available. High costs may help savers protect resources from the demands of others. I investigate this hypothesis by randomly assigning ATM cards to 1,100 newly opened bank accounts in rural Kenya. These cards reduced withdrawal fees by 50 percent. While the cards increased overall account use, the positive treatment effect is entirely driven by joint and male-owned accounts. I find evidence that these differences are driven by intrahousehold issues: Household bargaining power is a key mediator of the ATM treatment effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Simone Schaner, 2017. "The Cost of Convenience?: Transaction Costs, Bargaining Power, and Savings Account Use in Kenya," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(4), pages 919-945.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:52:y:2017:i:4:p:919-945
    Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.52.4.0815-7350R1
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    Cited by:

    1. Burlando, Alfredo & Kuhnk, Michael A. & Prina, Silvia, 2023. "Too Fast, Too Furious? Digital Credit Delivery Speed and Repayment Rates," IZA Discussion Papers 16451, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Kaiser, Tim & Menkhoff, Lukas, 2018. "Active Learning Improves Financial Education:," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 131, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    3. Bjorvatn, Kjetil & Getahun, Tigabu Degu & Halvorsen, Sandra Kristine, 2020. "Conflict or cooperation? Experimental evidence on intra-household allocations in Ethiopia," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    4. Pierre Bachas & Paul Gertler & Sean Higgins & Enrique Seira, 2021. "How Debit Cards Enable the Poor to Save More," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(4), pages 1913-1957, August.
    5. Dean Karlan & Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan & Jonathan Zinman, 2014. "Savings by and for the Poor: A Research Review and Agenda," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(1), pages 36-78, March.
    6. Michael A. Kuhn, 2021. "Electronic Benefit Transfer and Food Expenditure Cycles," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 744-773, June.
    7. Da Ke, 2021. "Who Wears the Pants? Gender Identity Norms and Intrahousehold Financial Decision‐Making," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(3), pages 1389-1425, June.
    8. So Yoon Ahn & Yu Kyung Koh, 2022. "Spousal Bargaining Power and Consumption of Married Couples in the US: Evidence from Scanner Data," Working Papers 2022-010, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    9. Esther Duflo, 2012. "Women Empowerment and Economic Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 50(4), pages 1051-1079, December.
    10. Choumert-Nkolo, Johanna & Combes Motel, Pascale & Le Roux, Leonard, 2019. "Stacking up the ladder: A panel data analysis of Tanzanian household energy choices," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 222-235.
    11. Tagat, Anirudh, 2020. "Female matters: Impact of a workfare program on intra-household female decision-making in rural India," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    12. Abbink, Klaus & Islam, Asad & Nguyen, Chau, 2020. "Whose voice matters? An experimental examination of gender bias in intra-household decision-making," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 337-352.
    13. Serena Masino & Miguel Niño-Zarazúa, 2014. "Social Service Delivery and Access to Financial Innovation: The Impact of Oportunidades' Electronic Payment System in Mexico," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-034, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Jed Friedman & Isis Gaddis & Talip Kilic & Antonio Martuscelli & Amparo Palacios-Lopez & Alberto Zezza, 2023. "The Distribution of Effort: Physical Activity, Gender Roles, and Bargaining Power in an Agrarian Setting," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 37(1), pages 93-111.
    15. Simone Schaner, 2018. "The Persistent Power of Behavioral Change: Long-Run Impacts of Temporary Savings Subsidies for the Poor," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(3), pages 67-100, July.
    16. Galdo, Jose C., 2021. "Using Bank Savings Product Design for Empowering Women and Agricultural Development," IZA Discussion Papers 14523, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Tara Bedi & Anu Jose & Michael King, 2023. "Mental Accounting, Spousal Control and Intra-Household Communication: Evidence from an Experiment in India," Trinity Economics Papers TEP1323, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics.
    18. Arthur Lewbel & Krishna Pendakur, 2022. "Inefficient Collective Households: Cooperation and Consumption," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(645), pages 1882-1893.
    19. Ahmad, Syedah & Lensink, Robert & Mueller, Annika, 2023. "Uptake, use, and impact of Islamic savings: Evidence from a field experiment in Pakistan1," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    20. Klein, Matthew J. & Barham, Bradford L. & Wu, Yuexuan, 2019. "Gender Equality in the Family Can Reduce the Malaria Burden in Malawi," Staff Paper Series 594, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    21. Masino, Serena & Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel, 2014. "Social service delivery and access to financial innovation. The impact of Oportunidades’ electronic payment system in Mexico," MPRA Paper 53430, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Siwan Anderson, 2022. "Unbundling female empowerment," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(4), pages 1671-1701, November.
    23. Klein, Matthew J. & Barham, Bradford L., 2018. "Point Estimates of Household Bargaining Power Using Outside Options," Staff Paper Series 590, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    24. Omika Bhalla Saluja & Priyanka Singh & Harit Kumar, 2023. "Barriers and interventions on the way to empower women through financial inclusion: a 2 decades systematic review (2000–2020)," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.

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