IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-05221049.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Determinants of Sustainability of Informal Community-Based Financial Groups: Insights from a Survival Analysis Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Roger Aganze
  • Roy Mersland

    (UIA - University of Agder)

  • Bert D’espallier
  • Kjetil Andersson

Abstract

This study examines the survival factors of informal community-based financial groups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger over the period 2014 to 2018. The results identify group size, meeting attendance, financial performance, and engagement in 'plus activities' as key predictors of savings group survival. The more efficiently funds are used and the higher the returns on savings, the more groups sustain their operations in the long run, irrespective of the absolute amount of savings per member. Similarly, active group engagement and involvement in additional non-financial activities alongside the core financial activities, also contribute to long-run survival. These findings highlight that social capital and financial efficiency should be at the forefront when designing savings-groups programs.

Suggested Citation

  • Roger Aganze & Roy Mersland & Bert D’espallier & Kjetil Andersson, 2025. "Determinants of Sustainability of Informal Community-Based Financial Groups: Insights from a Survival Analysis Approach," Post-Print hal-05221049, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05221049
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2025.2487014
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05221049v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-05221049v1/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00220388.2025.2487014?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
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Victoria White & Joanna Ledgerwood, 2006. "Transforming Microfinance Institutions : Providing Full Financial Services to the Poor," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 7086, April.
    2. Katherine Rankin, 2002. "Social Capital, Microfinance, and the Politics of Development," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 1-24.
    3. Besley, Timothy & Coate, Stephen, 1995. "Group lending, repayment incentives and social collateral," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Gugerty, Mary Kay, 2007. "You Can't Save Alone: Commitment in Rotating Savings and Credit Associations in Kenya," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55(2), pages 251-282, January.
    5. Dean Karlan & Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan & Jonathan Zinman, 2014. "Savings by and for the Poor: A Research Review and Agenda," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(1), pages 36-78, March.
    6. Mary Kay Gugerty, 2007. "You Can't Save Alone: Commitment in Rotating Savings and Credit Associations in Kenya," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55, pages 251-282.
    7. Naome Otiti & Cécile Godfroid & Roy Mersland & Bert D’Espallier, 2022. "Does it (Re)pay to be Female? Considering Gender in Microfinance Loan Officer-Client Pairs," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 259-274, February.
    8. Burlando, Alfredo & Canidio, Andrea, 2017. "Does group inclusion hurt financial inclusion? Evidence from ultra-poor members of Ugandan savings groups," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 24-48.
    9. Beatriz Armendáriz & Jonathan Morduch, 2010. "The Economics of Microfinance, Second Edition," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262014106, December.
    10. Jean-Marie Baland & Rohini Somanathan & Lore Vandewalle, 2019. "Socially Disadvantaged Groups and Microfinance in India," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 67(3), pages 537-569.
    11. repec:eme:hppsss:v:24:y:2008:i:1:p:49-66 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Eskander Alvi & Seife Dendir, 2009. "Private Transfers, Informal Loans and Risk Sharing Among Poor Urban Households in Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(8), pages 1325-1343.
    13. W. Bruce Wydick, 1999. "Credit access, human capital and class structure mobility," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(6), pages 131-152.
    14. Thorp, Rosemary & Stewart, Frances & Heyer, Amrik, 2005. "When and how far is group formation a route out of chronic poverty?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 907-920, June.
    15. Daniël van Hemert & Bert D’Espallier & Roy Mersland, 2024. "Autonomy and Financial Performance in Informal Savings Associations," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 60(9), pages 1352-1371, September.
    16. Dean Karlan & Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan & Jonathan Zinman, 2014. "Savings by and for the Poor: A Research Review and Agenda," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(1), pages 36-78, March.
    17. Mario Cleves & William W. Gould & Roberto G. Gutierrez & Yulia Marchenko, 2010. "An Introduction to Survival Analysis Using Stata," Stata Press books, StataCorp LLC, edition 3, number saus3, March.
    18. Maitra, Pushkar & Miller, Ray & Sedai, Ashish, 2023. "Household welfare effects of ROSCAs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    19. le Polain, Maïté & Sterck, Olivier & Nyssens, Marthe, 2018. "Interest Rates in Savings Groups: Thrift or Threat?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 162-172.
    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. Bruno, Olivier & Khachatryan, Knar, 2020. "Compulsory versus voluntary savings as an incentive mechanism in microfinance programs," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(C).
    2. Rolando Gonzales & Bert D’Espallier & Roy Mersland, 2021. "What Drives Profits in Savings Groups? Bayesian Data Mining Evidence from the SAVIX Database," Review of Development Finance Journal, Chartered Institute of Development Finance, vol. 11(2), pages 39-57.
    3. Shahriar, Abu Zafar M. & Alam, Quamrul, 2024. "Violence against women, innate preferences and financial inclusion," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Geng, Xin & Janssens, Wendy & Kramer, Berber, 2023. "Liquid milk: Savings, insurance and side-selling in cooperatives," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    5. Geng, Xin & Janssens, Wendy & Kramer, Berber, "undated". "Liquid milk: Cash Constraints and Recurring Savings among Dairy Farmers in Kenya," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273823, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Elinor Benami & Michael R. Carter, 2021. "Can digital technologies reshape rural microfinance? Implications for savings, credit, & insurance," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(4), pages 1196-1220, December.
    7. Jean-Marie Baland & Rohini Somanathan & Lore Vandewalle, 2019. "Socially Disadvantaged Groups and Microfinance in India," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 67(3), pages 537-569.
    8. Macchiavello, Rocco & Casaburi, Lorenzo, 2015. "Firm and Market Response to Saving Constraints: Evidence from the Kenyan Dairy Industry," CEPR Discussion Papers 10952, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Karna Basu, 2011. "Hyperbolic Discounting and the Sustainability of Rotational Savings Arrangements," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 3(4), pages 143-171, November.
    10. Spantig, Lisa, 2021. "Cash in hand and savings decisions," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 1206-1220.
    11. Cozarenco, Anastasia & Hudon, Marek & Szafarz, Ariane, 2016. "What type of microfinance institutions supply savings products?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 57-59.
    12. Francesco Reito & Salvatore Spagano, 2014. "A Comparison between Formal and Informal Mutual-credit Arrangements," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 52(2), pages 179-201, June.
    13. Cassidy, Rachel & Fafchamps, Marcel, 2020. "Banker my neighbour: Matching and financial intermediation in savings groups," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    14. Antonio Andreoni, 2013. "Microfinance," Chapters, in: Luigino Bruni & Stefano Zamagni (ed.), Handbook on the Economics of Reciprocity and Social Enterprise, chapter 22, pages 227-237, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Fenella Carpena & Shawn Cole & Jeremy Shapiro & Bilal Zia, 2013. "Liability Structure in Small-Scale Finance: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 27(3), pages 437-469.
    16. Bernardus F Nazar Van Doornik & Armando Gomes & David Schoenherr & Janis Skrastins, 2024. "Savings-and-credit contracts," BIS Working Papers 1236, Bank for International Settlements.
    17. Basu, Karna, 2014. "Commitment savings in informal banking markets," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 97-111.
    18. Leo Van Hove & Antoine Dubus, 2019. "M-PESA and Financial Inclusion in Kenya: Of Paying Comes Saving?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-26, January.
    19. Knar Khachatryan & Vardan Baghdasaryan & Valentina Hartarska, 2018. "Is the model loans-plus-savings better for microfinance in ECA? A PSM comparison," Working Paper c5a69366-4231-479c-879d-c, European Microfinance Network.
    20. Al-Azzam, Moh'd & Mimouni, Karim & Smaoui, Houcem & Temimi, Akram, 2022. "Subsidies vs. deposits and cost inefficiency in microfinance," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 212-235.

    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:hal:journl:hal-05221049. 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: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    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.