Financial Education and Financial Access for Transnational Households: Field Experimental Evidence from the Philippines.

Paolo Abarcar, Rashmi Barua, Dean Yang
Author Information
  1. Paolo Abarcar: Mathematica Policy Research, 1100 1st Street NE, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20002-4221.
  2. Rashmi Barua: Centre for International Trade and Development, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067.
  3. Dean Yang: Department of Economics & Ford School of Public Policy, 735 S. State Street, #3315, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.

Abstract

We implemented a randomized controlled trial among transnational households in the Philippines estimating impacts on financial behaviors of a financial education treatment, a financial access treatment, and the combination of the two. We test whether there are complementarities between both interventions and provide insight into the nature of constraints operating in financial services markets. We find no evidence of complementarities between the financial education and access treatments. In addition, while we find no evidence of constraints in access to formal credit and savings products, our results suggest that access constraints exist in the formal insurance market. Impacts on other financial behaviors are suggestive of the importance of information constraints in financial decision-making. These results provide guidance to designers of financial interventions in similar populations.

References

  1. Science. 2011 Jun 10;332(6035):1278-84 [PMID: 21659596]
  2. Am Econ J Appl Econ. 2015 Apr;7(2):207-232 [PMID: 26000091]
  3. Am Econ Rev. 2013 Jun;103(4):1138-71 [PMID: 29533047]

Grants

  1. P2C HD041028/NICHD NIH HHS

Word Cloud

Created with Highcharts 10.0.0financialaccessconstraintsPhilippinesbehaviorseducationtreatmentcomplementaritiesinterventionsprovidefindevidenceformalresultsFinancialimplementedrandomizedcontrolledtrialamongtransnationalhouseholdsestimatingimpactscombinationtwotestwhetherinsightnatureoperatingservicesmarketstreatmentsadditioncreditsavingsproductssuggestexistinsurancemarketImpactssuggestiveimportanceinformationdecision-makingguidancedesignerssimilarpopulationsEducationAccessTransnationalHouseholds:FieldExperimentalEvidence

Similar Articles

Cited By (1)