IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/gigawp/94.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Savings, Credit and Insurance: Household Demand for Formal Financial Services in Rural Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Bendig, Mirko
  • Giesbert, Lena
  • Steiner, Susan

Abstract

This paper argues that the study of the demand for financial services in developing countries leaves out part of the story, if it looks at only one of the three elements of the so called finance trinity, i.e. savings products, loans, or insurances, as is largely done in the literature. In contrast to previous research, it is assumed that households' choice for any of these services is strongly interconnected. Therefore, the paper simultaneously estimates the determinants of household demand for savings, loans and insurances by applying a multivariate probit model on household survey data from rural Ghana. On the one hand, the estimation results confirm the common finding that poorer households are less likely to participate in the formal financial sector than better off households. On the other hand, there is empirical evidence that the usage of savings products, loans and insurances does not only depend on the socio-economic status of households, but also on various other factors, such as households' risk assessment and the past exposure to shocks. In addition, trust in the providing institution and its products appear to play a key role.

Suggested Citation

  • Bendig, Mirko & Giesbert, Lena & Steiner, Susan, 2009. "Savings, Credit and Insurance: Household Demand for Formal Financial Services in Rural Ghana," GIGA Working Papers 94, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:gigawp:94
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/47737/1/65499174X.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fafchamps, Marcel & Udry, Christopher & Czukas, Katherine, 1998. "Drought and saving in West Africa: are livestock a buffer stock?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 273-305, April.
    2. Kati Schindler, 2010. "Credit for What? Informal Credit as a Coping Strategy of Market Women in Northern Ghana," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(2), pages 234-253.
    3. Sarmistha Pal, 2002. "Household sectoral choice and effective demand for rural credit in India," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(14), pages 1743-1755.
    4. Milton Friedman, 1957. "Introduction to "A Theory of the Consumption Function"," NBER Chapters, in: A Theory of the Consumption Function, pages 1-6, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Claessens, Stijn, 2006. "Access to financial services: a review of the issues and public policy objectives," Journal of Financial Transformation, Capco Institute, vol. 17, pages 16-19.
    6. M. M. Pitt & S. R. Khandker, 2002. "Credit Programmes for the Poor and Seasonality in Rural Bangladesh," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 1-24.
    7. Jain Nishant & Bhat Ramesh, 2006. "Factoring affecting the Demand for Health Insurance in a Micro Insurance Scheme," IIMA Working Papers WP2006-07-02, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    8. Mikkel Barslund & Finn Tarp, 2008. "Formal and Informal Rural Credit in Four Provinces of Vietnam," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 485-503, April.
    9. Kochar, Anjini, 1997. "An empirical investigation of rationing constraints in rural credit markets in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 339-371, August.
    10. Eliana La Ferrara, 2003. "Kin Groups and Reciprocity: A Model of Credit Transactions in Ghana," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(5), pages 1730-1751, December.
    11. Morduch, Jonathan, 1999. "Between the State and the Market: Can Informal Insurance Patch the Safety Net?," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 14(2), pages 187-207, August.
    12. Jabbar, M. A. & Ehui, S. K. & Von Kaufmann, R., 2002. "Supply and Demand for Livestock Credit in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons for Designing New Credit Schemes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1029-1042, June.
    13. Stefan Dercon, 2002. "Income Risk, Coping Strategies, and Safety Nets," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 17(2), pages 141-166, September.
    14. Navajas, Sergio & Schreiner, Mark & Meyer, Richard L. & Gonzalez-vega, Claudio & Rodriguez-meza, Jorge, 2000. "Microcredit and the Poorest of the Poor: Theory and Evidence from Bolivia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 333-346, February.
    15. Dehejia, Rajeev & Montgomery, Heather & Morduch, Jonathan, 2012. "Do interest rates matter? Credit demand in the Dhaka slums," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 437-449.
    16. K. Spio & J.A. Groenewald, 1996. "Rural Household Savings and the Life Cycle Hypothesis: The Case of South Africa," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 64(4), pages 217-223, December.
    17. Gupta, K L, 1970. "Personal Saving in Developing Nations: Further Evidence," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 46(114), pages 243-249, June.
    18. K. L. Gupta, 1970. "Personal Saving in Developing Nations: Further Evidence," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 46(2), pages 243-249, June.
    19. Mr. Rodolphe Blavy & Mr. Anupam Basu & Mr. Murat  Yulek, 2004. "Microfinance in Africa: Experience and Lessons From Selected African Countries," IMF Working Papers 2004/174, International Monetary Fund.
    20. Kimuyu, Peter Kiko, 1999. "Rotating Saving and Credit Associations in Rural East Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 1299-1308, July.
    21. Milton Friedman, 1957. "A Theory of the Consumption Function," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number frie57-1, March.
    22. Aryeetey, Ernest, et al, 1997. "Financial Market Fragmentation and Reforms in Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 11(2), pages 195-218, May.
    23. Jonathan Morduch, 1995. "Income Smoothing and Consumption Smoothing," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 103-114, Summer.
    24. Gulnur MURADOGLU & Fatma TASKIN, 1996. "Differences In Household Savings Behavior: Evidence From Industrial And Developing Countries," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 34(2), pages 138-153, June.
    25. Ranjula Bali Swain, 2002. "Credit Rationing In Rural India," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 27(2), pages 1-20, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kuhn, Lena & Bobojonov, Ihtiyor, 2023. "The role of risk rationing in rural credit demand and uptake: lessons from Kyrgyzstan," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 83(1), pages 1-20.
    2. SAM, Vichet, 2019. "Formal Financial Inclusion in Cambodia: What are the Key Barriers and Determinants?," MPRA Paper 94000, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Tanvi Kiran & Shivam Dhawan, 2015. "The Impact of Family Size on Savings and Consumption Expenditure of Industrial Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study," American Journal of Economics and Business Administration, Science Publications, vol. 7(4), pages 177-184, November.
    4. Arun, Thankom Gopinath & Bendig, Mirko, 2010. "Risk Management among the Poor: The Case of Microfinancial Services," IZA Discussion Papers 5174, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Tuan, Truong Anh & Nam, Pham Khanh & Loan, Le Thanh, 2022. "The impact of health insurance on households’ financial choices: Evidence from Vietnam," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 264-276.
    6. Victoria Wanjiku Wokabi & Olanrewaju Isola Fatoki, 2019. "Determinants of Financial Inclusion In East Africa," International Journal of Business and Management, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences, vol. 7(1), pages 125-143, May.
    7. Campero Alejandra & Kaiser Karen, 2013. "Access to Credit: Awareness and Use of Formal and Informal Credit Institutions," Working Papers 2013-07, Banco de México.
    8. Bendig, Mirko & Arun, Thankom Gopinath, 2011. "Enrolment in Micro Life and Health Insurance: Evidences from Sri Lanka," IZA Discussion Papers 5427, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Pamela Katic & Tim Ellis, 2018. "Risk aversion in agricultural water management investments in Northern Ghana: experimental evidence," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 49(5), pages 575-586, September.
    10. Louis Atamja & Sungjoon Yoo, 2021. "Credit Constraint and Rural Household Welfare in the Mezam Division of the North-West Region of Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, May.
    11. Sun, Sicong & Nabunya, Proscovia & Byansi, William & Sensoy Bahar, Ozge & Damulira, Christopher & Neilands, Torsten B. & Guo, Shenyang & Namuwonge, Flavia & Ssewamala, Fred M., 2020. "Access and utilization of financial services among poor HIV-impacted children and families in Uganda," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    12. Kosmas Njanike & Raphael T. Mpofu, 2024. "Factors Influencing Financial Inclusion for Social Inclusion in Selected African Countries," Insight on Africa, , vol. 16(1), pages 93-112, January.
    13. Olomola, Aderbigbe & Gyimah-Brempong, Kwabena, 2014. "Loan demand and rationing among small-scale farmers in Nigeria:," IFPRI discussion papers 1403, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    14. I.K. Balyanda AKMAL & M. Shabri Abd. MAJID & Eddy GUNAWAN, 2020. "Does Zakat Matter For Human Development? An Empirical Evidence From Indonesia," Regional Science Inquiry, Hellenic Association of Regional Scientists, vol. 0(2), pages 195-208, June.
    15. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofarmata & Shri Dewi Applanaidu & Sallahuddin Hassan, 2016. "Determinants of Demand for Credit: A Conceptual Review," Asian Journal of Economics and Empirical Research, Asian Online Journal Publishing Group, vol. 3(1), pages 6-10.
    16. Samuel Sekyi, 2017. "Rural Households' Credit Access and Loan Amount in Wa Municipality, Ghana," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(1), pages 506-514.
    17. Patricia Born & Douglas Bujakowski, 2022. "Economic transition and insurance market development: evidence from post-communist European countries," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 47(1), pages 201-237, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mirko Bendig & Thankom Arun, 2011. "Microfinancial Services And Risk Management: Evidences From Sri Lanka," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 36(4), pages 97-126, December.
    2. Arun, Thankom Gopinath & Bendig, Mirko, 2010. "Risk Management among the Poor: The Case of Microfinancial Services," IZA Discussion Papers 5174, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Samuel Sekyi, 2017. "Rural Households' Credit Access and Loan Amount in Wa Municipality, Ghana," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(1), pages 506-514.
    4. Somville, Vincent & Vandewalle, Lore, 2023. "Access to banking, savings and consumption smoothing in rural India," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    5. Arun, Thankom & Bendig, Mirko & Arun, Shoba, 2012. "Bequest Motives and Determinants of Micro Life Insurance in Sri Lanka," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(8), pages 1700-1711.
    6. Eoin McGuirk & Marshall Burke, 2020. "The Economic Origins of Conflict in Africa," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(10), pages 3940-3997.
    7. Schicks, Jessica, 2014. "Over-Indebtedness in Microfinance – An Empirical Analysis of Related Factors on the Borrower Level," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 301-324.
    8. Ha van Dung, 2014. "Short-term precaution, insurance and saving mechanisms in rural Vietnam," Working Papers CIE 82, Paderborn University, CIE Center for International Economics.
    9. Bendig, Mirko & Arun, Thankom Gopinath, 2011. "Enrolment in Micro Life and Health Insurance: Evidences from Sri Lanka," IZA Discussion Papers 5427, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Mertzanis, Charilaos, 2019. "Family ties, institutions and financing constraints in developing countries," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    11. Islam, Asadul & Maitra, Pushkar, 2012. "Health shocks and consumption smoothing in rural households: Does microcredit have a role to play?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 232-243.
    12. Stefan Dercon, 2002. "Income Risk, Coping Strategies, and Safety Nets," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 17(2), pages 141-166, September.
    13. Gulnur MURADOGLU & Fatma TASKIN, 1996. "Differences In Household Savings Behavior: Evidence From Industrial And Developing Countries," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 34(2), pages 138-153, June.
    14. Echevin, Damien, 2011. "Characterizing poverty and vulnerability in rural Haiti: a multilevel decomposition approach," MPRA Paper 35659, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Zia M. Qureshi, 1981. "Household Saving in Pakistan: Some Findings from Time-Series Data," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 20(4), pages 375-397.
    16. Jorge H. Maldonado & Rocío del Pilar Moreno-Sánchez & romoreno@uniandes.edu.co, 2010. "Estrategias de suavización del consumo y del ingreso de las madres beneficiarias del programa Familias en Acción: un análisis cualitativo," Documentos CEDE 7609, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    17. C. Rashaad Shabab, 2021. "Local droughts and income risk among Thai households," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 2084-2112, November.
    18. Allen C. Kelley, 1980. "Interactions of Economic and Demographic Household Behavior," NBER Chapters, in: Population and Economic Change in Developing Countries, pages 403-470, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Mahmud, Mahreen & Riley, Emma, 2021. "Household response to an extreme shock: Evidence on the immediate impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on economic outcomes and well-being in rural Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    20. Carol Newman & Finn Tarp, 2018. "Risk and investment: Evidence from rural Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 122, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    rural financial markets; financial services; Sub-Saharan Africa; Ghana;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • R22 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Other Demand

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:gigawp:94. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dueiide.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.