WIDER Seminar Series - Lore Vandewalle on access to formal banking and household finances: Experimental evidence from India

Lore Vandewalle, Assistant Professor at The Graduate Institute, will speak at the 18 April 2018 session of the WIDER Seminar Series. 

Abstract – Access to formal banking and household finances: Experimental evidence from India

Access to formal banking is spreading across the world. Obtaining a bank account may transform how people manage their finances, and affect their savings and consumption. Findings from a field experiment that randomly provides access to a bank account to a representative sample of villagers in rural India are positive. The experiment complements existing literature by conducting financial diaries, which provide a complete picture of the household's financial lives up to six months after the bank account was opened. The respondents save actively in the account, and both their individual and the total household savings increase. There is no significant impact on average expenditures, income, loans and transfers, but there are important effects on consumption smoothing.

WIDER Seminar Series

The WIDER Seminar Series showcases recent and ongoing work on key topics in development economics. The weekly sessions held in Helsinki are open to local and visiting researchers, policy makers, and others interested in development topics. Click here to learn more.