Working Paper: NBER ID: w25669
Authors: Haseeb Ahmed; Benjamin W Cowan
Abstract: This paper uses a difference-in-difference framework to estimate the effects of mobile money transfer technology (MMT) on healthcare usage in the face of negative health shocks. We use survey data from 2013-16 with quarterly observations on about 1,600 households of 10 villages in the Kisumu region of Western Kenya. We find evidence that MMT, likely through greater ease of informal borrowing, helps households increase utilization of formal healthcare services in terms of visits to a clinic, consultation and medication expenditures in comparison with the non-users of this technology.
Keywords: Mobile Money; Healthcare; East Africa; Health Shocks; Risk Sharing
JEL Codes: I13; I15; O55
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| mobile money transfer technology (MMT) (F24) | healthcare expenditure (H51) |
| mobile money transfer technology (MMT) (F24) | likelihood of purchasing medication (I11) |
| mobile money transfer technology (MMT) (F24) | spending on consultation fees (L84) |
| mobile money transfer technology (MMT) (F24) | visits to formal healthcare facilities (I11) |
| mobile money transfer technology (MMT) (F24) | likelihood of acquiring loans (G21) |
| mobile money transfer technology (MMT) (F24) | in-kind transfers (H49) |