Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP6195
Authors: Nava Ashraf; Dean S. Karlan; Wesley Yin
Abstract: Female 'empowerment' has increasingly become a policy goal, both as an end to itself and as a means to achieving other development goals. Microfinance in particular has often been argued, but not without controversy, to be a tool for empowering women. Here, using a randomized controlled trial, we examine whether access to an individually-held commitment savings product leads to an increase in female decision-making power within the household. We find positive impacts, particularly for women who have below median decision-making power in the baseline, and we find this leads to a shift towards female-oriented durables goods purchased in the household.
Keywords: commitment; female empowerment; household decision making; microfinance; savings
JEL Codes: D12; D63; D91; J16; O12; O16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| baseline decision-making power (D70) | female decision-making power (J16) |
| commitment savings product (D14) | female decision-making power (J16) |
| commitment savings product (D14) | household purchases of female-oriented durable goods (D13) |
| commitment savings product (D14) | self-perception as more disciplined savers (D14) |
| commitment savings product (D14) | no crowding out of other savings (E21) |