We present results from a randomized control trial on access to mobile money with 480
entrepreneurs in Malawi. Treated individuals received account opening assistance and …

Financial savings at the household level are vital for poverty alleviation, yet they face social,
psychological and institutional obstacles. Over recent years, mobile phones have proven …

Financial inclusion is a crucial mechanism for inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and
economic development, particularly among the unbankable in developing countries that …

Most governments in developing countries offer subsidized credit programs to the
agricultural sector. We document that farmers often lack information on how these programs …

Is financial knowledge change necessary for lasting savings behavior change? Or, akin to
the canonical Friedman billiards player, can behavior persist “as if” such knowledge is held …

We study the dynamic effects of large, unconditional cash transfers in rural Liberia and
Malawi using bi-monthly phone surveys. We document improvements in food security until …

The welfare impacts of expanding access to new financial services depend upon whether
such services better meet households' financial needs in terms of savings, investment and …

I examine whether changing the way microfinance loans are disbursed to utilise widespread
mobile money services impacts the businesses of female microfinance borrowers. Using a …

While cash transfers will tautologically increase contemporaneous consumption, it is unclear
whether these gains will persist, especially in rural agricultural settings with limited …

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ ESSAYS IN DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS A
dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requ Page 1 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA …