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Microfinance and Home Improvement: Using Retrospective Panel Data to Measure Program Effects on Fundamental Events

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  • McIntosh, Craig
  • Villaran, Gonzalo
  • Wydick, Bruce

Abstract

Summary Rigorously estimating the effects of development programs is notoriously difficult. We present a methodology that borrows from "event studies" commonly used in the finance literature. In our RETRAFECT methodology, a retrospective panel dataset is created based on "fundamental" events in the history of surveyed households, events that are discrete, unforgettable, and important to welfare. We apply this methodology to examine home improvements among 1,672 households in Guatemala, India, and Ghana. Using village and country/year-level fixed effects, we find the probability of a major housing improvement increases from 0.038 to 0.070 in the years subsequent to a first microfinance loan.

Suggested Citation

  • McIntosh, Craig & Villaran, Gonzalo & Wydick, Bruce, 2011. "Microfinance and Home Improvement: Using Retrospective Panel Data to Measure Program Effects on Fundamental Events," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 922-937, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:39:y:2011:i:6:p:922-937
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    Cited by:

    1. BenYishay, Ariel & Grosjean, Pauline, 2014. "Initial endowments and economic reform in 27 post-socialist countries," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 892-906.
    2. Leonardo Becchetti & Stefano Castriota & Pierluigi Conzo, 2012. "Bank strategies in catastrophe settings: empirical evidence and policy suggestions," Econometica Working Papers wp43, Econometica.
    3. Rajbanshi, Ram & Huang, Meng & Wydick, Bruce, 2015. "Measuring Microfinance: Assessing the Conflict between Practitioners and Researchers with Evidence from Nepal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 30-47.
    4. Urquía-Grande, Elena & Rubio-Alcocer, Antonio, 2015. "Agricultural infrastructure donation performance: Empirical evidence in rural Ethiopia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 245-254.
    5. repec:bla:devpol:v:35:y:2017:i:5:p:645-657 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Becchetti, Leonardo & Castriota, Stefano, 2008. "Does money affect happiness and self-esteem? The poor borrowers' perspective in a quasi-natural experiment," AICCON Working Papers 48-2008, Associazione Italiana per la Cultura della Cooperazione e del Non Profit.
    7. D’Espallier, Bert & Goedecke, Jann & Hudon, Marek & Mersland, Roy, 2017. "From NGOs to Banks: Does Institutional Transformation Alter the Business Model of Microfinance Institutions?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 19-33.
    8. repec:eur:ejmsjr:400 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Mazumder, Mohummed Shofi Ullah & Lu, Wencong, 2015. "What Impact Does Microfinance Have on Rural Livelihood? A Comparison of Governmental and Non-Governmental Microfinance Programs in Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 336-354.
    10. Nguyen, Trung Thanh & Nguyen, Loc Duc & Lippe, Rattiya Suddeephong & Grote, Ulrike, 2017. "Determinants of Farmers’ Land Use Decision-Making: Comparative Evidence From Thailand and Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 199-213.
    11. Leonardo Becchetti & Stefano Castriota & Melania Michetti, 2013. "The effect of fair trade affiliation on child schooling: evidence from a sample of Chilean honey producers," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(25), pages 3552-3563, September.
    12. Jia, Xiangping & Xiang, Cheng & Huang, Jikun, 2013. "Microfinance, self-employment, and entrepreneurs in less developed areas of rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 94-103.
    13. Leonardo Becchetti & Pierluigi Conzo, 2014. "The effects of microfinance on child schooling: a retrospective approach," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 89-106, January.
    14. Nargiza Alimukhamedova & Randall Filer & Jan Hanousek, 2015. "The Importance of Geographic Access for the Impact of Microfinance," CESifo Working Paper Series 5433, CESifo Group Munich.
    15. Hermes, Niels & Lensink, Robert, 2011. "Microfinance: Its Impact, Outreach, and Sustainability," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 875-881, June.
    16. Andrea F. Presbitero & Roberta Rabellotti, 2014. "Geographical Distance And Moral Hazard In Microcredit: Evidence From Colombia," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(1), pages 91-108, January.
    17. Hao Luan & Xiangping Jia & Jikun Huang, 2014. "Household Access to Nongovernmental Microfinance, Formal Credit and Informal Credit in Rural China," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 4, pages 61-76, May.
    18. Leonardo Becchetti & Pierluigi Conzo & Giuseppina Gianfreda, 2009. "Market Access, Organic Farming And Productivity: The Determinants Of Creation Of Economic Value On A Sample Of Fair Trade Affiliated Thai Farmers," Working Papers 0309, CREI Università degli Studi Roma Tre, revised 2009.

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