000			01444nam a22001457a 4500
999			_c523350 _d523350
008			230810b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aFlory, Jeffrey A. _942904
245			_aBridging the savings gap: Evidence from a field experiment in Malawi
260			_aEconomic Development and Cultural Change
300			_a71(3), Apr, 2023: p.963-1002
520			_aThis study examines evidence from a randomized controlled trial of a novel financial services intervention designed to spur savings uptake in rural areas of the developing world. The sample includes more than 2,000 households from 325 villages in rural Malawi. Results show that an information treatment consisting of periodic village visits from a trained bank staff person significantly increased adoption and use of savings accounts. The findings also show important impact heterogeneities along dimensions such as education level, remoteness of village, and gender of household head, as well as positive spillover effects onto account uptake at other financial institutions. Further analysis reveals active account use among adopters. These findings confirm recent suggestions from survey evidence on an important role played by “soft” barriers to financial inclusion (e.g., low information and trust) and provide insights on how such barriers can be overcome. – Reproduced
773			_aEconomic Development and Cultural Change
906			_aSAVINGS
942			_cAR