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Household welfare in the digital age: Assessing the effect of mobile money on household consumption volatility in developing countries

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  • Ablam Estel Apeti

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne)

Abstract

Based on a sample of 76 developing countries over 1990-2019, we assess the effect of adopting mobile money on consumption volatility using entropy balancing. We reveal that countries with mobile money exhibit lower consumption volatility. After checking the robustness of this result, we show that the key drivers of mobile money's stabilizing effect are financial inclusion and migrant remittances. Heterogeneity tests conducted indicate the sensitivity of the result to time and type of mobile money and to some structural factors, including trade openness, inflation, rural population, the rule of law, and level of development.

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  • Ablam Estel Apeti, 2022. "Household welfare in the digital age: Assessing the effect of mobile money on household consumption volatility in developing countries," Post-Print hal-03819779, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03819779
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106110
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03819779
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    Mobile money; entropy balancing; consumption volatility; developing countries;
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