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How does risk management influence production decisions? evidence from a field experiment

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  • Cole,Shawn A.
  • Gine,Xavier
  • Vickery,James

Abstract

Weather is a key source of income risk, especially in emerging market economies. This paper uses a randomized controlled trial involving Indian farmers to study how an innovative rainfall insurance product affects production decisions. The authors find that insurance provision induces farmers to invest more in higher-return but rainfall-sensitive cash crops, particularly among educated farmers. This shift in behavior occurs ex ante, when realized monsoon rainfall is still uncertain. The results suggest that financial innovation can mitigate the real effects of uninsured production risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Cole,Shawn A. & Gine,Xavier & Vickery,James, 2013. "How does risk management influence production decisions? evidence from a field experiment," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6546, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:6546
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor Policies; Insurance Law; Debt Markets; Non Bank Financial Institutions; Climate Change Economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • Q14 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Finance

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