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Banking the Unbanked: Evidence from Three Countries - Working Paper 440

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  • Pascaline Dupas, Dean Karlan, Jonathan Robinson and Diego Ubfal

Abstract

We experimentally test the impact of expanding access to basic bank accounts in Uganda, Malawi, and Chile. Over two years, 17 percent, 10 percent, and 3 percent of treatment individuals made five or more deposits, respectively. Average monthly deposits for them were at the 79th, 91st, and 96th percentiles of baseline savings. Survey data show no clearly discernible intention-to-treat effects on savings or any downstream outcomes. This suggests that policies merely focused on expanding access to basic accounts are unlikely to improve welfare noticeably since impacts, even if present, are likely small and diverse.

Suggested Citation

  • Pascaline Dupas, Dean Karlan, Jonathan Robinson and Diego Ubfal, 2016. "Banking the Unbanked: Evidence from Three Countries - Working Paper 440," Working Papers 440, Center for Global Development.
    • Handle: RePEc:cgd:wpaper:440
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    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. IPA’s weekly links
      by Jeff Mosenkis (IPA) in Chris Blattman on 2017-01-13 20:44:06

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    Cited by:

    1. N'dri, Lasme Mathieu & Kakinaka, Makoto, 2020. "Financial inclusion, mobile money, and individual welfare: The case of Burkina Faso," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(3).
    2. Grohmann, Antonia & Klühs, Theres & Menkhoff, Lukas, 2018. "Does financial literacy improve financial inclusion? Cross country evidence," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 111, pages 84-96.
    3. Ajide Folorunsho M., 2021. "Financial Inclusion and Labour Market Participation of Women in Selected Countries in Africa," Economics and Culture, Sciendo, vol. 18(1), pages 15-31, June.
    4. Banerjee, Abhijit & Claudia, Martínez A. & Puentes, Esteban, 2025. "Better strategies for saving more: Evidence from three interventions in Chile," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Amina Abdinoor & Ulingeta O.L. Mbamba, 2017. "Factors influencing consumers’ adoption of mobile financial services in Tanzania," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1392273-139, January.
    6. Karlan, Dean & Zinman, Jonathan, 2018. "Price and control elasticities of demand for savings," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 145-159.
    7. Pranab Kumar Das & Bhaswati Ganguli & Sugata Marjit & Sugata Sen Roy, 2018. "The dynamics of finance-growth-inequality nexus: Theory and Evidence for India," Discussion Papers Series 593, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    8. Munacinga Simatele & Loyiso Maciko, 2022. "Financial Inclusion in Rural South Africa: A Qualitative Approach," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-22, August.
    9. Vincent Somville & Lore Vandewalle, 2017. "Access to Formal Banking and Household Finances: Experimental Evidence from India," CMI Working Papers 1, CMI (Chr. Michelsen Institute), Bergen, Norway.
    10. Surajeet Chakravarty & Sumedh Dalwai & Pradeep Kumar, 2020. "Incentives and Performance of Agents in a Microfinance Bank," Discussion Papers 2002, University of Exeter, Department of Economics.
    11. Kochar, Anjini, 2018. "Branchless banking: Evaluating the doorstep delivery of financial services in rural India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 160-175.
    12. Steinert, Janina Isabel & Cluver, Lucie Dale & Meinck, Franziska & Doubt, Jenny & Vollmer, Sebastian, 2018. "Household economic strengthening through financial and psychosocial programming: Evidence from a field experiment in South Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 443-466.
    13. Ayodele Oniku & Kehinde Mokwenyei Anita, 2020. "Will shared leadership engenders innovative work behaviors among salesmen toward improved performance?," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 56(3), pages 218-229, September.
    14. Pere Arqué-castells & Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal, 2016. "Banking the unbanked: Evidence from the Spanish Banking Expansion Plan," Working Papers 2016/24, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    15. Pan, Yao & You, Jing, 2020. "Successful Social Programs over Local Political Cycles," MPRA Paper 98968, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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