IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ere/journl/v39y2020i1id147.html

The role of cognitive and personality characteristics in timely microcredit repayment: Evidence from a survey conducted by Provident, Mexico

Author

Listed:
  • Sonia Di Giannatale

    (CIDE)

  • Daniel Ventosa-Santaulària

    (CIDE)

  • Maria José Roa García

    (CEMLA)

  • Alexander Elbittar

    (CIDE)

  • Darío Trujano

    (IFT)

Abstract

Sustainability of microfinance institutions depends, among other factors, on having appropriate repayment levels. This article's contribution to the existing literature is the analysis of the role of a personality trait named "grit" in individual microcredit repayment decisions, alongside cognitive characteristics and time and risk preferences. This study is based on a survey of a sample of clients at 'Provident México', a formal microfinance institution that provides personal loans in vulnerable communities in Puebla, Mexico. We find evidence that, generally, older individuals possessing higher levels of grit and a tendency toward short term present bias are more likely to show no delays in loan repayments. Cognitive characteristics are inversely related to paying microcredits on time. Refinancing incentives does not play a key role in timely microcredit repayment, a result that is contrary to related literature but consistent with our finding that individuals in this sample that do not have delays in repayments are characterized by showing a short term present bias.El papel de las características cognitivas y de personalidad en el pago oportuno de microcréditos: Evidencia de una encuesta realizada por Provident, México. RESUMENLa sostenibilidad de las instituciones microfinancieras depende, entre otros factores, de tener niveles apropiados de repago. Este trabajo contribuye a la literatura existente al analizar el papel de un rasgo de personalidad denominado "diligencia" ("grit" en inglés) en las decisiones de repago de microcréditos individuales, junto con las habilidades cognitivas y las preferencias de tiempo y riesgo. Este estudio se basa en una encuesta aplicada a una muestra de clientes en 'Provident México', una institución formal de microfinanzas que ofrece préstamos personales en comunidades vulnerables en Puebla, México. Los resultados obtenidos indican que, en general, las personas mayores que poseen niveles más altos de diligencia, y que tienden a tener un sesgo por el corto plazo, tienen más probabilidades de no mostrar retrasos en el repago de los préstamos. Las características cognitivas están inversamente relacionadas con el pago de las deudas a tiempo. Los incentivos de refinanciamiento no desempeñan un papel clave en el repago a tiempo del microcrédito, contrario a la literatura. Sin embargo, en nuestra muestra, los resultados concuerdan con el sesgo por el corto plazo de los individuos que no tienen retrasos en sus pagos.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonia Di Giannatale & Daniel Ventosa-Santaulària & Maria José Roa García & Alexander Elbittar & Darío Trujano, 2020. "The role of cognitive and personality characteristics in timely microcredit repayment: Evidence from a survey conducted by Provident, Mexico," Ensayos Revista de Economía, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, vol. 39(1), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:ere:journl:v:39:y:2020:i:1:id:147
    DOI: 10.29105/ensayos39.1-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ensayos.uanl.mx/index.php/ensayos/article/view/147
    File Function: Abstract page
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ensayos.uanl.mx/index.php/ensayos/article/download/147/174
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.29105/ensayos39.1-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. D’Espallier, Bert & Guérin, Isabelle & Mersland, Roy, 2011. "Women and Repayment in Microfinance: A Global Analysis," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 39(5), pages 758-772.
    2. Anke Becker & Thomas Deckers & Thomas Dohmen & Armin Falk & Fabian Kosse, 2012. "The Relationship Between Economic Preferences and Psychological Personality Measures," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 4(1), pages 453-478, July.
    3. John Ameriks & Andrew Caplin & John Leahy, 2003. "Wealth Accumulation and the Propensity to Plan," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(3), pages 1007-1047.
    4. Stephan Meier & Charles Sprenger, 2010. "Present-Biased Preferences and Credit Card Borrowing," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 193-210, January.
    5. Shane Frederick, 2005. "Cognitive Reflection and Decision Making," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(4), pages 25-42, Fall.
    6. Shawn Cole & Anna Paulson & Gauri Kartini Shastry, 2014. "Smart Money? The Effect of Education on Financial Outcomes," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(7), pages 2022-2051.
    7. Ibtissem Baklouti, 2013. "Determinants of Microcredit Repayment: The Case of Tunisian Microfinance Bank," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 25(3), pages 370-382, September.
    8. Britta Augsburg & Ralph De Haas & Heike Harmgart & Costas Meghir, 2015. "The Impacts of Microcredit: Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(1), pages 183-203, January.
    9. repec:idb:brikps:80479 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Heckman, James J. & Kautz, Tim, 2012. "Hard evidence on soft skills," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 451-464.
    11. Sumit Agarwal & Bhashkar Mazumder, 2013. "Cognitive Abilities and Household Financial Decision Making," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 193-207, January.
    12. Anke Becker & Thomas Deckers & Thomas Dohmen & Armin Falk & Fabian Kosse, 2012. "The Relationship Between Economic Preferences and Psychological Personality Measures," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 4(1), pages 453-478, July.
    13. Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo & Rachel Glennerster & Cynthia Kinnan, 2015. "The Miracle of Microfinance? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(1), pages 22-53, January.
    14. Almlund, Mathilde & Duckworth, Angela Lee & Heckman, James & Kautz, Tim, 2011. "Personality Psychology and Economics," Handbook of the Economics of Education, in: Erik Hanushek & Stephen Machin & Ludger Woessmann (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Education, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 0, pages 1-181, Elsevier.
    15. Manuela Angelucci & Dean Karlan & Jonathan Zinman, 2015. "Microcredit Impacts: Evidence from a Randomized Microcredit Program Placement Experiment by Compartamos Banco," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(1), pages 151-182, January.
    16. Ibtissem Baklouti, 2013. "Determinants of Microcredit Repayment: The Case of Tunisian Microfinance Bank," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 25(3), pages 370-382.
    17. van Rooij, Maarten & Lusardi, Annamaria & Alessie, Rob, 2011. "Financial literacy and stock market participation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(2), pages 449-472, August.
    18. Beatriz Armendáriz de Aghion & Jonathan Morduch, 2000. "Microfinance Beyond Group Lending," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 8(2), pages 401-420, July.
    19. Karna Basu, 2016. "A behavioral model of simultaneous borrowing and saving," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 68(4), pages 1166-1174.
    20. Heckman, James J., 2011. "Integrating Personality Psychology into Economics," IZA Discussion Papers 5950, IZA Network @ LISER.
    21. James J. Heckman & Jora Stixrud & Sergio Urzua, 2006. "The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 24(3), pages 411-482, July.
    22. Marrit van den Berg & Robert Lensink & Roselia Servin, 2015. "Loan Officers' Gender and Microfinance Repayment Rates," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(9), pages 1241-1254, September.
    23. María José Roa & Ignacio Garrón & Jonathan Barboza, 2019. "Financial Decisions and Financial Capabilities in the Andean Region," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 296-323, June.
    24. Michal Bauer & Julie Chytilova & Jonathan Morduch, 2012. "Behavioral Foundations of Microcredit: Experimental and Survey Evidence from Rural India," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(2), pages 1118-1139, April.
    25. Hermes, Niels & Lensink, Robert, 2011. "Microfinance: Its Impact, Outreach, and Sustainability," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 875-881, June.
    26. A. D. Roy, 1951. "Some Thoughts On The Distribution Of Earnings," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 135-146.
    27. David Laibson, 1997. "Golden Eggs and Hyperbolic Discounting," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(2), pages 443-478.
    28. Mark Grinblatt & Matti Keloharju & Juhani Linnainmaa, 2011. "IQ and Stock Market Participation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(6), pages 2121-2164, December.
    29. Annamaria Lusardi & Olivia S. Mitchell, 2014. "The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 52(1), pages 5-44, March.
    30. Nitin Bhatt & Shui–Yan Tang, 2002. "Determinants of Repayment in Microcredit: Evidence from Programs in the United States," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 360-376, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. repec:ere:journl:v:xxxix:y:2020:i:1:p:1-20 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Maria Jose Roa & Sonia Di Giannatale & Jonathan Barboza & Juliana Gamboa Arbelaez, 2021. "Inclusive health and life insurance adoption: An empirical study in Guatemala," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 1053-1077, May.
    3. Maria José Roa & Sonia Di Giannatale & Alexander Elbittar, 2015. "Características de personalidad y cognitivas: Efectos sobre el comportamiento de repago," Documentos de Investigación - Research Papers 20, CEMLA.
    4. Lucia Dalla Pellegrina & Giorgio Di Maio & Paolo Landoni & Emanuele Rusinà, 2021. "Money management and entrepreneurial training in microfinance: impact on beneficiaries and institutions," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 38(3), pages 1049-1085, October.
    5. Peijnenburg, Kim & Parise, Gianpaolo, 2017. "Understanding the Determinants of Financial Outcomes and Choices: The Role of Noncognitive Abilities," CEPR Discussion Papers 11900, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    6. Ye, Zihan & Post, Thomas & Zou, Xiaopeng & Chen, Shenglan, 2025. "Savings goals matter–Cognitive constraints, retirement planning, and downstream economic behaviors," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    7. Firth, Chris & Stewart, Neil & Antoniou, Constantinos & Leake, David, 2023. "The effects of personality and IQ on portfolio outcomes," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    8. Andrej Gill & Florian Hett & Johannes Tischer, 2022. "Time Inconsistency and Overdraft Use: Evidence from Transaction Data and Behavioral Measurement Experiments," Working Papers 2205, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    9. Peter Hoeschler & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2017. "The Relative Importance of Personal Characteristics for the Hiring of Young Workers," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0142, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW), revised Jan 2018.
    10. María José Roa & Ignacio Garrón & Jonathan Barboza, 2019. "Financial Decisions and Financial Capabilities in the Andean Region," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 296-323, June.
    11. Gill, Andrej & Hett, Florian & Tischer, Johannes, 2022. "Time inconsistency and overdraft use: Evidence from transaction data and behavioral measurement experiments," Discussion Papers 18/2022, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    12. Maria Jose Roa & Sonia Di Giannatale & Alejandra Villegas & Jonathan Barboza, 2023. "Are women more financially vulnerable than men? A tale of missed economic opportunities from Latin America," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(6), November.
    13. Vaaramo, Mikko & Huikari, Sanna & Ala-Mursula, Leena & Miettunen, Jouko & Korhonen, Marko, 2024. "Temperament traits and economic preferences predict occupational choice beyond human capital variables," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    14. Luik, Marc-André & Steinhardt, Max Friedrich, 2016. "Immigrant-native differences in stockholding – The role of cognitive and non-cognitive skills," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(PA), pages 103-119.
    15. Breitkopf, Laura & Chowdhury, Shyamal K. & Priyam, Shambhavi & Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah & Sutter, Matthias, 2020. "Do economic preferences of children predict behavior?," DICE Discussion Papers 342, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    16. Francisco Gomes & Michael Haliassos & Tarun Ramadorai, 2021. "Household Finance," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 59(3), pages 919-1000, September.
    17. Lima de Miranda, Katharina, 2019. "Mindfulness, preferences and well-being: Mindfulness predicts adolescents' field behaviour," Kiel Working Papers 2127, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
    18. Kesavayuth, Dusanee & Ko, Kaung Myat & Zikos, Vasileios, 2018. "Locus of control and financial risk attitudes," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 122-131.
    19. Salvador Cruz Rambaud & Joaquín López Pascual & Emilio M. Santandreu, 2023. "A socioeconomic approach to the profile of microcredit holders from the Hispanic minority in the USA," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 1-25, December.
    20. Heckman, James J. & Jagelka, Tomáš & Kautz, Tim, 2019. "Some Contributions of Economics to the Study of Personality," IZA Discussion Papers 12753, IZA Network @ LISER.
    21. Preuss, Malte, 2021. "Intra-individual stability of two survey measures on forward-looking attitude," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 201-227.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:ere:journl:v:39:y:2020:i:1:id:147. 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: Revistas UANL (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://ensayos.uanl.mx/index.php/ensayos .

    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.