Over the past four decades, government debt as a fraction of GDP has been on an upward
trajectory in advanced economies, approaching levels not reached since World War II. While …

We show that a sovereign debt trap can be sustained–even long term–provided economic
growth that would be, if there was no sovereign debt, sufficiently high both in absolute terms …

We use transaction data from an account aggregation company to study the impact of
access to personal financial information from mobile devices on consumer behavior. We …

Poverty is often characterized not only by low and unstable income, but also by heavy debt
burdens. In a randomized field experiment with more than 3,500 low-income micro …

Previous research shows that the way transfer income is disbursed can affect what
households purchase with that income. In this paper, I provide evidence that disbursement …

This paper bridges two distinct areas of inquiry: the economic theory of the family and
behavioral research on time-inconsistent preferences. Motivated by anecdotal and survey …

I show that an expansion of student loan supply affects parents' saving decisions and
portfolio allocation. By exploiting policy-induced variation on expected student loans, I find a …

Closing disparities in credit access between spouses can help reduce consumption
inequality in the household. The 2013 reversal of the Truth-in-Lending Act increased the …

Poverty is often characterized not only by low and unstable income, but also by heavy debt
burdens. In a randomized field experiment with over 3,500 low-income micro-entrepreneurs …

I have written this thesis during my time as PhD student at the Chair of International and
Regional Economics at the University of Wuppertal. First and foremost, I have to thank my …