Examines the effect of a randomized experiment that introduced external capital shocks (in the forms of cash grants or in-kind transfers) to small business owners as a way to measure the impact of increased access to finance on financially constrained firms.

Examines evidence from an agricultural loan product and its effect on a farmer's production decision and household economic outcomes.

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Examines the challenges researchers face in measuring the impact of credit.

Examines saving mechanisms and the challenges in measuring their impact.

Examines how credit scoring can be used to improve microfinance operations and expand access for poor households.

Compares self-reported surveys with administrative data and finds close to half of borrowers did not report their high-interest consumer loans.

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Examines the reasons behind low savings despite high credit interest rates, low joint-production and labor market inefficiencies.

The “m-Finance” appeal rests on two possibilities: (1) mobile phones will allow banks to conduct business more cost-effectively, and by cutting costs, the technology will make it feasible to reach a broader population; and (2) mobile phones and related technologies will alter the nature of banking relationships themselves, and doing so will mean going back to the basics and rethinking assumptions about the financial demands of poor households. Economists Kappor, Morduch, and Ravi explore the mobile technology revolution and discuss its application for improving banking services for the poor.

Examines loan usage and creditworthiness of borrowers for household-level data from Bank Rakyat of Indonesia.

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