IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/rdevec/v7y2003i3p431-444.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Interactions of Informal and Formal Agents in South Asian Rural Credit Markets

Author

Listed:
  • John Adams
  • Hans‐Peter Brunner
  • Frank Raymond

Abstract

The paper provides a realistic explanation for the persistently large loan costs in the informal and formal credit markets of South Asia. In the presence of the adverse selection problems that arise from information asymmetries and discrepancies in credit services, price competition in somewhat differentiated products is sufficient to generate the high interest rate convergence observed in Nepalese credit markets. Most prior literature emphasizes collusion as the cause and leads to ineffective entry‐oriented policy prescriptions. The new interpretation stresses the need to reduce information asymmetries, product differentiation, and moral hazard risks, while widening the spatial orbits of agent competition.

Suggested Citation

  • John Adams & Hans‐Peter Brunner & Frank Raymond, 2003. "Interactions of Informal and Formal Agents in South Asian Rural Credit Markets," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(3), pages 431-444, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:7:y:2003:i:3:p:431-444
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-9361.00201
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9361.00201
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1467-9361.00201?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hoff, Karla & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1998. "Moneylenders and bankers: price-increasing subsidies in a monopolistically competitive market," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 485-518, April.
    2. Jonathan Morduch, 1999. "The Microfinance Promise," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1569-1614, December.
    3. Bell, Clive, 1990. "Interactions between Institutional and Informal Credit Agencies in Rural India," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 4(3), pages 297-327, September.
    4. Broecker, Thorsten, 1990. "Credit-Worthiness Tests and Interbank Competition," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(2), pages 429-452, March.
    5. Siamwalla, Ammar, et al, 1990. "The Thai Rural Credit System: Public Subsidies, Private Information, and Segmented Markets," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 4(3), pages 271-295, September.
    6. Aleem, Irfan, 1990. "Imperfect Information, Screening, and the Costs of Informal Lending: A Study of a Rural Credit Market in Pakistan," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 4(3), pages 329-349, September.
    7. Ross Levine, 1997. "Financial Development and Economic Growth: Views and Agenda," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(2), pages 688-726, June.
    8. Parikshit Ghosh & Debraj Ray, 1996. "Cooperation in Community Interaction Without Information Flows," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 63(3), pages 491-519.
    9. Bose, Pinaki, 1998. "Personalized transactions and market activity in the informal sector," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 139-144, April.
    10. Kapur, Basant K., 1992. "Formal and informal financial markets, and the neo-structuralist critique of the financial liberalization strategy in less developed countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 63-77, January.
    11. Stiglitz, Joseph E & Weiss, Andrew, 1981. "Credit Rationing in Markets with Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 393-410, June.
    12. Hoff, Karla & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1990. "Imperfect Information and Rural Credit Markets--Puzzles and Policy Perspectives," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 4(3), pages 235-250, September.
    13. Maria Sagrario Floro & Debraj Ray, 1997. "Vertical Links Between Formal and Informal Financial Institutions," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(1), pages 34-56, February.
    14. Caselli, Francesco, 1997. "Rural labor and credit markets," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 235-260, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Magnus Hatlebakk, 2009. "Capacity‐constrained Collusive Price Discrimination in the Informal Rural Credit Markets of Nepal," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 70-86, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Madestam, Andreas, 2014. "Informal finance: A theory of moneylenders," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 157-174.
    2. Mallick, Debdulal, 2012. "Microfinance and Moneylender Interest Rate: Evidence from Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 1181-1189.
    3. Hoff, Karla & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1998. "Moneylenders and bankers: price-increasing subsidies in a monopolistically competitive market," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 485-518, April.
    4. Tressel, Thierry, 2003. "Dual Financial Systems and Inequalities in Economic Development," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 223-257, June.
    5. Allen Blackman, 2001. "Why don't Lenders Finance High-Return Technological Change in Developing-Country Agriculture?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 83(4), pages 1024-1035.
    6. Magnus Hatlebakk, 2009. "Capacity‐constrained Collusive Price Discrimination in the Informal Rural Credit Markets of Nepal," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 70-86, February.
    7. Tiziana Venittelli, 2017. "The Impact of Microfinance Institutions on the Informal Credit Market: Evidence from Andhra Pradesh," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(2), pages 512-531, April.
    8. Nicoletta Batini & Young-Bae Kim & Paul Levine & Emanuela Lotti, 2009. "Informal Labour and Credit Markets: A Survey," School of Economics Discussion Papers 0609, School of Economics, University of Surrey.
    9. Atul MEHTA & Joysankar BHATTACHARYA, 2018. "Financial sector development and the poor in developing countries: revisiting the access to finance channel," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(3(616), A), pages 153-168, Autumn.
    10. Andersen, Thomas Barnebeck & Malchow-Moller, Nikolaj, 2006. "Strategic interaction in undeveloped credit markets," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 275-298, August.
    11. Uduakobong Inyang, 2022. "Risks to credit access in a developing economy:Focus on household characteristics and the choice of credit in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(2), pages 228-240, March.
    12. Abhirupa Das & Uday Bhanu Sinha, 2022. "Microfinance institution and moneylenders in a segmented rural credit market," Working papers 324, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    13. Menkhoff, Lukas & Rungruxsirivorn, Ornsiri, 2009. "Village Funds in the Rural Credit Market of Thailand," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Frankfurt a.M. 2009 45, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    14. Khanna, Madhulika & Majumdar, Shruti, 2020. "Caste-ing wider nets of credit: A mixed methods analysis of informal lending and caste relations in Bihar," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    15. Thierry Tressel, 1999. "Financial Intermediation and Growth: Long Run Consequences of Capital Market Imperfections," CSEF Working Papers 20, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    16. Conning, Jonathan & Udry, Christopher, 2007. "Rural Financial Markets in Developing Countries," Handbook of Agricultural Economics, in: Robert Evenson & Prabhu Pingali (ed.), Handbook of Agricultural Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 56, pages 2857-2908, Elsevier.
    17. Besley, Timothy, 1995. "Savings, credit and insurance," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Hollis Chenery & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 36, pages 2123-2207, Elsevier.
    18. Kibrom A. Abay & Goytom A. Kahsay & Guush Berhane, 2018. "Social Networks and Factor Markets: Panel Data Evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(1), pages 174-190, January.
    19. Fan Wang, 2022. "An Empirical Equilibrium Model of Formal and Informal Credit Markets in Developing Countries," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 46, pages 224-243, October.
    20. Rajlakshmi Mallik, 2007. "Entry of Formal Lenders and the Size of the Informal Credit Market," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 163(4), pages 706-730, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:7:y:2003:i:3:p:431-444. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1363-6669 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.