IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/sea/wpaper/wp29.html

Financial Inclusion: New Measurement and Cross-Country Impact Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Cyn-Young Park

    (Asian Development Bank)

  • Rogelio Mercado Jr.

    (South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) Research and Training Centre)

Abstract

This paper introduces a new index of financial inclusion for 151 economies using principal component analysis to compute weights for aggregating 9 indicators of access, availability, and usage. It then assesses the impact of financial inclusion on poverty and income inequality. The results provide evidence that high and middle-high-income economies with high financial inclusion have significantly lower poverty, while no such relation exists for middle-low and low-income economies. The nonlinearities in the cross-country determinants and impacts of financial inclusion on poverty and income inequality across income groups are important to choosing the appropriate policies for achieving inclusive growth in different development stages.

Suggested Citation

  • Cyn-Young Park & Rogelio Mercado Jr., 2018. "Financial Inclusion: New Measurement and Cross-Country Impact Assessment," Working Papers wp29, South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) Research and Training Centre.
    • Handle: RePEc:sea:wpaper:wp29
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.seacen.org/publications/RePEc/702002-100432-PDF.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brune, Lasse & Gine, Xavier & Goldberg, Jessica & Yang, Dean, 2011. "Commitments to save : a field experiment in rural Malawi," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5748, The World Bank.
    2. Cyn-Young Park & Rogelio Mercado, 2018. "Financial Inclusion, Poverty, And Income Inequality," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 63(01), pages 185-206, March.
    3. Pascaline Dupas & Jonathan Robinson, 2013. "Savings Constraints and Microenterprise Development: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Kenya," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 163-192, January.
    4. Stijn Claessens, 2006. "Access to financial services: a review of the issues and public policy objectives," Journal of Financial Transformation, Capco Institute, vol. 17, pages 16-19.
    5. Noelia Cámara & David Tuesta, 2018. "Measuring financial inclusion: a multidimensional index," IFC Bulletins chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), The role of data in supporting financial inclusion policy, volume 47, Bank for International Settlements.
    6. Robin Burgess & Rohini Pande, 2005. "Do Rural Banks Matter? Evidence from the Indian Social Banking Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 780-795, June.
    7. Sasidaran Gopalan & Tomoo Kikuchi (ed.), 2016. "Financial Inclusion in Asia," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-58337-6, March.
    8. Cyn-Young Park & Rogelio Mercado, Jr., 2018. "Financial Inclusion: New Measurement and Cross-Country Impact Assessment," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 539, Asian Development Bank.
    9. Gabriela Calderon & Leonardo Iacovone & Laura Juarez, 2017. "Opportunity versus Necessity: Understanding the Heterogeneity of Female Micro-Entrepreneurs," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 30(Supplemen), pages 86-96.
    10. Swamy, Vighneswara, 2014. "Financial Inclusion, Gender Dimension, and Economic Impact on Poor Households," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 1-15.
    11. Franklin Allen & Elena Carletti & Robert Cull & Jun Qian & Lemma Senbet & Patricio Valenzuela, 2014. "Resolving the African Financial Development Gap: Cross-Country Comparisons and a Within-Country Study of Kenya," NBER Chapters, in: African Successes, Volume III: Modernization and Development, pages 13-62, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Ashraf, Nava & Karlan, Dean & Yin, Wesley, 2010. "Female Empowerment: Impact of a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 333-344, March.
    13. Thorsten Beck & Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Patrick Honohan, 2009. "Access to Financial Services: Measurement, Impact, and Policies," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 24(1), pages 119-145, February.
    14. repec:wbk:wbpubs:16238 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Cyn-Young Park, 2015. "Financial Inclusion, Poverty, and Income Inequality in Developing Asia," Working Papers id:6654, eSocialSciences.
    16. Rudrani Bhattacharya & Ila Patnaik, 2016. "Financial Inclusion, Productivity Shocks, and Consumption Volatility in Emerging Economies," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 30(1), pages 171-201.
    17. Ghosh, Saibal & Vinod, D., 2017. "What Constrains Financial Inclusion for Women? Evidence from Indian Micro data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 60-81.
    18. Cyn-Young Park & Rogelio V. Mercado, 2016. "Does Financial Inclusion Reduce Poverty and Income Inequality in Developing Asia?," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, in: Sasidaran Gopalan & Tomoo Kikuchi (ed.), Financial Inclusion in Asia, chapter 3, pages 61-92, Palgrave Macmillan.
    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. E. Bonhoure & R. Bawack, 2024. "Review of the Coverage of Financial Inclusion Research Since the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals: What Has Changed?," Post-Print hal-04828293, HAL.
    2. Md Abdullah Omar & Kazuo Inaba, 2020. "Does financial inclusion reduce poverty and income inequality in developing countries? A panel data analysis," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 9(1), pages 1-25, December.
    3. Shruti Malik & Girish Chandra Maheshwari & Archana Singh, 2019. "Understanding Financial Inclusion in India: A Theoretical Framework Building Through SAP–LAP and Efficient IRP," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 20(2), pages 117-140, June.
    4. Lan Khanh Chu, 2019. "Determinants of financial inclusions: comparing high, middle, and low-income countries," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(2), pages 1449-1457.
    5. Minhaj Ali & Shujahat H. Hashmi & Muhammad R. Nazir & Ahmer Bilal & Muhammad I. Nazir, 2021. "Does financial inclusion enhance economic growth? Empirical evidence from the IsDB member countries," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 5235-5258, October.
    6. Marcelin, Isaac & Sun, Wei, 2025. "Financial inclusion, inequality, and retirement trends among older workers," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    7. Shivangi Bhatia & Seema Singh, 2019. "Empowering Women Through Financial Inclusion: A Study of Urban Slum," Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, , vol. 44(4), pages 182-197, December.
    8. Claude Bernard Lontchi & Baochen Yang & Yunpeng Su, 2022. "The Mediating Effect of Financial Literacy and the Moderating Role of Social Capital in the Relationship between Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Development in Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-24, November.
    9. Sanjukta Sarkar & Saritha Nair & M. Vishnu Vardhana Rao, 2023. "Exploring the Gender Dimension in Financial Inclusion in India: Insights from the Global Findex Database," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 8(2), pages 141-161, July.
    10. Loan Thi-Hong Van & Anh The Vo & Nhan Thien Nguyen & Duc Hong Vo, 2021. "Financial Inclusion and Economic GROWTH: An International Evidence," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(1), pages 239-263, January.
    11. Gallego-Losada, María-Jesús & Montero-Navarro, Antonio & García-Abajo, Elisa & Gallego-Losada, Rocío, 2023. "Digital financial inclusion. Visualizing the academic literature," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    12. Grohmann, Antonia & Klühs, Theres & Menkhoff, Lukas, 2018. "Does financial literacy improve financial inclusion? Cross country evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 84-96.
    13. Chandralekha Ghosh & Rimita Hom Chaudhury, 2019. "Gender Gap in case of Financial Inclusion: An Empirical Analysis in Indian Context," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(4), pages 2615-2630.
    14. Kara, Alper & Zhou, Haoyong & Zhou, Yifan, 2021. "Achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals through financial inclusion: A systematic literature review of access to finance across the globe," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    15. Simontinti Das & Amrita Chatterjee, 2021. "Role of ICT Dissemination and Digital Finance in Poverty Eradication and Income Inequality Reduction: A Sub-national Level Study from India," Working Papers 2021-210, Madras School of Economics,Chennai,India.
    16. Liu, Dan & Jin, Yanhong & Pray, Carl & Liu, Shuang, 2020. "The Effects of Digital Inclusive Finance on Household Income and Income Inequality in China?," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304238, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. Nkambule, Maxwell Banele, 2022. "The financial inclusion status of rural households in Eswatini," Research Theses 334766, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    18. Thereza Balliester Reis, 2022. "Socio‐economic determinants of financial inclusion: An evaluation with a microdata multidimensional index," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(3), pages 587-611, April.
    19. Ichraf Ouechtati, 2020. "The Contribution of Financial Inclusion in Reducing Poverty and Income Inequality in Developing Countries," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(9), pages 1051-1061, September.
    20. Seng, Kimty, 2019. "The Poverty-Reducing Effects of Financial Inclusion: Evidence from Cambodia," MPRA Paper 95726, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 26 Aug 2019.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:sea:wpaper:wp29. 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: Azharin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/seacemy.html .

    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.