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An Experimental Analysis of the Demand for Payday Loans

Author

Listed:
  • Wilson Bart J

    (Chapman University)

  • Findlay David W.

    (Colby College)

  • Meehan James W.

    (Colby College)

  • Wellford Charissa
  • Schurter Karl

    (University of Virginia)

Abstract

The payday loan industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the consumer financial services market in the United States. We design an environment similar to the one that payday loan customers face and then conduct a laboratory experiment to examine what effect, if any, the existence of payday loans has on individuals' abilities to manage and to survive financial setbacks. Our primary objective is to examine whether access to payday loans improves or worsens the likelihood of financial survival in our experiment. We also test the degree to which people's use of payday loans affects their ability to survive financially. We find that payday loans help the subjects to absorb expenditure shocks and therefore survive financially. However, subjects whose demand for payday loans exceeds a certain threshold level are at a greater risk than a corresponding subject in the treatment in which payday loans do not exist.

Suggested Citation

  • Wilson Bart J & Findlay David W. & Meehan James W. & Wellford Charissa & Schurter Karl, 2010. "An Experimental Analysis of the Demand for Payday Loans," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-31, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:10:y:2010:i:1:n:93
    DOI: 10.2202/1935-1682.2563
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    Cited by:

    1. John Y. Campbell & Howell E. Jackson & Brigitte C. Madrian & Peter Tufano, 2011. "Consumer Financial Protection," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 25(1), pages 91-114, Winter.
    2. Michael Insler & Pamela Schmitt & Jake Compton, 2013. "Does everyone accept a free lunch? Decision making under (almost) zero cost borrowing," Departmental Working Papers 42, United States Naval Academy Department of Economics.
    3. Mary Zaki, 2016. "Access to Short-term Credit and Consumption Smoothing within the Paycycle," Working Papers 2016.07, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    4. Zinman, Jonathan, 2010. "Restricting consumer credit access: Household survey evidence on effects around the Oregon rate cap," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 546-556, March.
    5. Cambpbell, John Y. & Jackson, Howell Edmunds & Madrian, Brigitte & Tufano, Peter, 2010. "The Regulation of Consumer Financial Products: An Introductory Essay with Four Case Studies," Scholarly Articles 4450128, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    6. Silvia Magri & Valentina Michelangeli & Sabrina Pastorelli & Raffaella Pico, 2019. "The expansion of consumer credit in Italy and in the Euro Area: what are the drivers and the risks?," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 500, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    7. Dean Karlan & Jonathan Zinman, 2010. "Expanding Credit Access: Using Randomized Supply Decisions to Estimate the Impacts," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(1), pages 433-464, January.
    8. Thomas A. Hemphill, 0. "The small-dollar loan industry: a new era of regulatory reform—and emerging competition?," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 0, pages 1-11.
    9. Scott Carrell & Jonathan Zinman, 2014. "In Harm's Way? Payday Loan Access and Military Personnel Performance," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(9), pages 2805-2840.
    10. Zaki, Mary, 2016. "Access to Short-term Credit and Consumption Smoothing within the Paycycle," ET: Economic Theory 232213, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    11. Ryszard Kowalski & Grzegorz Wałęga, 2022. "Regulation of Usury: Justification, Consequences, and Some Lessons from Polish Experience," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 2, pages 57-73.
    12. Donald P. Morgan & Michael R. Strain & Ihab Seblani, 2012. "How Payday Credit Access Affects Overdrafts and Other Outcomes," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 44(2‐3), pages 519-531, March.
    13. John P. Caskey, 2010. "Payday lending: new research and the big question," Working Papers 10-32, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    14. Zibei Chen & Terri Friedline & Catherine M. Lemieux, 2022. "A National Examination on Payday Loan Use and Financial Well-being: a propensity score matching Approach," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 678-689, December.
    15. J. Brandon Bolen & Gregory Elliehausen & Thomas W. Miller, 2020. "Do Consumers Need More Protection From Small‐Dollar Lenders? Historical Evidence And A Roadmap For Future Research," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 58(4), pages 1577-1613, October.
    16. Kelly D. Edmiston, 2011. "Could restrictions on payday lending hurt consumers?," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, vol. 96(Q I).
    17. Thomas A. Hemphill, 2020. "The small-dollar loan industry: a new era of regulatory reform—and emerging competition?," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 55(3), pages 150-160, July.
    18. Bartkevičiūtė Gintarė & Gaigalienė Asta & Legenzova Renata, 2018. "The Assessment of Determinants of Credit Services’ Choices among Students," Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, Sciendo, vol. 79(1), pages 7-23, June.
    19. Saxena, Vibhor & Bindal, Ishaan & LeMay-Boucher, Philippe, 2020. "Social groups and credit shocks: Evidence of inequalities in consumption smoothing," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 311-326.
    20. Lodermeier, Alison, 2024. "Credit access and housing insecurity: Evidence from winter utility shutoff protections," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).

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