How do borrowers respond to improvements in a lender’s ability to punish defaulters? We implemented a randomized field experiment in Malawi examining the impact of fingerprinting of borrowers, which improves the lender’s ability to withhold future loans from individuals who have previously defaulted while rewarding good borrowers with increased loan sizes. Study participants were smallholder fa...

Gender inequality is at the core of the HIV patterns that are evident in sub-Saharan Africa. Gender-based violence (GBV) and lack of economic opportunity are important structural determinants of HIV risk. We piloted a microfinance and health promotion intervention among social networks of primarily young men in Dar es Salaam. Twenty-two individuals participated in the microfinance component and...

ALTHOUGH SOCIAL GRADIENTS IN MORBIDITY AND MORtality fromscrofula, rickets,andscarlet feverwerenoticedinEnglandasearlyas1845,currentunderstandingof therelationshipbetweenpovertyandillhealth is still evolving. A detailed examination of the social determinants of health is the current focus of a World Health OrganizationCommission,andaglobalagendathataddressestheoverlappingvulnerabilitiesofpovert...

CONTEXT Many states attempt to entice young generalist physicians into rural and medically underserved areas with financial support-for-service programs-scholarships, service-option loans, loan repayment, direct financial incentives, and resident support programs-with little documentation of their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess outcomes of states' support-f...

www.philadelphiafed.org R eports in the popular press and policymakers’ concerns about student loans have greatly intensified in recent years because of rising student loan balances and defaults. Even greater cause for concern arose as student loans outstanding passed credit card debt to become the single largest nonmortgage household debt in 2012. Worries about the risk of massive default have...

In this paper an attempt is made to assess the extent of indebtedness among marine fisherfolk in mechanized, motorized and traditional fisheries sectors and to assess the impact of Microfinance Institutions (MFI) and Self Help Groups (SHG) on coastal indebtedness in Tamil Nadu. The study was carried out in three coastal districts of the state. Situational analysis was done through PLA in the se...

Given the substantial amount of resources currently invested in microcredit programs, it is more important than ever to accurately assess the extent to which peer monitoring by borrowers faced with group liability contracts actually reduces moral hazard. We conduct a field experiment with women about to enter a group loan program in Paraguay and then gather administrative data on the members’ r...

Using unique survey and administrative data from Canada, we document that parental support personal savings substantially reduce student loan repayment problems. Developing a model of borrowing repayment, show nonmonetary costs applying for income-based assistance are critical to understanding our findings. Furthermore, eliminating these may be inefficient. Empirically, expanding Canada’s Repay...

In this paper we provide an analysis of credit risk management and the use of credit scoring among European MFIs. With this aim, we designed and sent a survey to the full set of known MFIs operating in Eastern and Western Europe. 58 MFIs completed the survey. We observe that the European microfinance industry has already dedicated substantial effort to risk management, noting that more than hal...