Working Paper: NBER ID: w22463
Authors: Pascaline Dupas; Dean Karlan; Jonathan Robinson; Diego Ubfal
Abstract: We experimentally test the impact of expanding access to basic bank accounts in Uganda, Malawi, and Chile. Over two years, 17 percent, 10 percent, and 3 percent of treatment individuals made five or more deposits, respectively. Average monthly deposits for them were at the 79th, 91st, and 96th percentiles of baseline savings. Survey data show no clearly discernible intention–to–treat effects on savings or any downstream outcomes. This suggests that policies merely focused on expanding access to basic accounts are unlikely to improve welfare noticeably since impacts, even if present, are likely small and diverse.
Keywords: banking; financial inclusion; savings; randomized controlled trial
JEL Codes: C93; D14; G21; O12; O16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| poverty and transaction costs (P46) | bank account usage (G21) |
| bank account usage (G21) | savings behavior (D14) |
| increase in bank balances in Uganda (F65) | decrease in informal savings (D14) |
| increase in bank balances in Malawi (O16) | decrease in informal savings (D14) |
| expanding access to basic bank accounts (G21) | savings behavior (D14) |
| expanding access to basic bank accounts (G21) | downstream economic outcomes (F69) |