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Decentralized Targeting of Agricultural Credit Programs: Private versus Political Intermediaries

Author

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  • Pushkar Maitra

    (Department of Economics, Monash University)

  • Sandip Mitra

    (Sampling and Official Statistics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute)

  • Dilip Mookherjee

    (Department of Economics, Boston University)

  • Sujata Visaria

    (Department of Economics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

We conduct a field experiment in India comparing two approaches to appointing a local commission agent to select eligible smallholder farmers for a subsidized credit program: a private trader in TRAIL, versus a political appointee in GRAIL. Although both schemes had similar loan take-up and repayments and similar treatment impacts on borrowing and farm output, only TRAIL raised farm profits significantly. This cannot be explained by greater connectedness between TRAIL agents and farmers, or differential patterns of borrower selection. Instead, TRAIL agents increased their interactions with treated farmers, and we argue this helped them procure inputs at lower prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Pushkar Maitra & Sandip Mitra & Dilip Mookherjee & Sujata Visaria, 2021. "Decentralized Targeting of Agricultural Credit Programs: Private versus Political Intermediaries," HKUST CEP Working Papers Series 202105, HKUST Center for Economic Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:hke:wpaper:wp2021-05
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    Cited by:

    1. Deserranno, Erika & Bandiera, Oriana & Rasul, Imran, 2020. "Development Policy through the Lens of Social Structure," CEPR Discussion Papers 14876, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Emerick, Kyle & De Janvry, Alain & Sadoulet, Elisabeth & Dar, Manzoor & Wiseman, Eleanor, 2020. "Private Input Suppliers as Information Agents for Technology Adoption in Agriculture," CEPR Discussion Papers 15584, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Oriana Bandiera & Robin Burgess & Erika Deserranno & Ricardo Morel & Munshi Sulaiman & Imran Rasul, 2023. "Social Incentives, Delivery Agents, and the Effectiveness of Development Interventions," Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 162-224.
    4. Pushkar Maitra & Sandip Mitra & Dilip Mookherjee & Sujata Visaria, 2021. "Evaluating the Distributive Effects of a Development Intervention," HKUST CEP Working Papers Series 202106, HKUST Center for Economic Policy.
    5. M. Ali Choudhary & Anil K. Jain, 2022. "Credit access and relational contracts: An experiment testing informational and contractual frictions for Pakistani farmers," International Finance Discussion Papers 2022, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    6. Matthew Olckers & Toby Walsh, 2022. "Manipulation and Peer Mechanisms: A Survey," Papers 2210.01984, arXiv.org, revised May 2024.
    7. Maitra, Pushkar & Mitra, Sandip & Mookherjee, Dilip & Visaria, Sujata, 2022. "Evaluating the distributive effects of a micro-credit intervention," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    8. Oriana Bandiera & Robin Burgess & Erika Deserranno & Ricardo Morel & Imran Rasul & Munshi Sulaiman & Jack Thiemel, 2022. "Microfinance and Diversification," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(S1), pages 239-275, June.
    9. Anindya Bhattacharya & Anirban Kar & Alita Nandi, 2023. "Asymmetric networks, clientelism and their impacts: households' access to workfare employment in rural India," Papers 2304.04236, arXiv.org.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Targeting; Intermediation; Decentralization; Community Driven Development; Agricultural Credit; Networks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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