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The Effect of Gender-Based Returns to Borrowing on Intra-Household Resource Allocation in Rural Bangladesh

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  • Alam, Saad

Abstract

Income from rural microcredit borrowing can empower women and consequently lead to investments in children’s education and health. This article examines the effect of male and female self-employment returns to borrowing in rural Bangladesh on intra-household resource allocation and decision making abilities and how these effects differ with different borrowing sources. Household expenditure patterns measure intra-household allocation. The results show that female borrowers are better able to allocate their income toward goods more valuable to them and make major household decisions when their income increases. This serves as evidence of increased empowerment or bargaining power of rural women in Bangladesh.

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  • Alam, Saad, 2012. "The Effect of Gender-Based Returns to Borrowing on Intra-Household Resource Allocation in Rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 1164-1180.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:40:y:2012:i:6:p:1164-1180
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.12.009
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    Cited by:

    1. Donato Romano & Silvio Traverso, 2020. "Disentangling the Impact of International Migration on Food and Nutrition Security of Left-Behind Households: Evidence from Bangladesh," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(4), pages 783-811, September.
    2. Lucia Dalla Pellegrina & Giorgio Di Maio & Paolo Landoni & Emanuele Rusinà, 2021. "Money management and entrepreneurial training in microfinance: impact on beneficiaries and institutions," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 38(3), pages 1049-1085, October.
    3. Lucia MANGIAVACCHI & Federico PERALI & Luca Piccoli, 2018. "Intrahousehold Distribution in Migrant-Sending Families," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 84(1), pages 107-148, March.
    4. Rae Lesser Blumberg & Kara Dewhurst & Soham G. Sen, 2013. "Gender-inclusive Nutrition Activities in South Asia : Volume 2. Lessons from Global Experiences," World Bank Publications - Reports 15980, The World Bank Group.
    5. Rajalaxmi Kamath & Abhi Dattasharma, 2017. "Women and Household Cash Management: Evidence from Financial Diaries in India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 29(1), pages 73-92, January.
    6. Lucia Mangiavacchi & Luca Piccoli, 2022. "Gender Inequalities Among Adults and Children: Exposure to Migration and the Evolution of Social Norms in Albania," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 546-564, September.
    7. Sefa K. Awaworyi, 2014. "The Impact of Microfinance Interventions: A Meta-analysis," Monash Economics Working Papers 03-14, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    8. Maria Porter, 2016. "Effects of microcredit and other loans on female empowerment in Bangladesh: the borrower's gender influences intra-household resource allocation," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(2), pages 235-245, March.
    9. Lucia Dalla Pellegrina & Giorgio, Di Maio & Paolo Landoni & Beatrice Rama, 2019. "Activating women cognitive abilities: Impact of a financial literacy pilot program in India," Working Papers 412, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised May 2019.
    10. Mahmud Minhaj & Otsuka Keijiro & Sawada Yasuyuki & Tanaka Mari & Tanaka Tomomi, 2017. "Women Empowerment in Bangladesh: Household Decisions under Development of Non-Farm Sectors and Microfinance Institutions," Working Papers 154, JICA Research Institute.
    11. Le Kien & Nguyen My, 2021. "How Education Empowers Women in Developing Countries," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 21(2), pages 511-536, April.
    12. Seng, Kimty, 2019. "The Poverty-Reducing Effects of Financial Inclusion: Evidence from Cambodia," MPRA Paper 95726, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 26 Aug 2019.
    13. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Korankye Danso, Jeffrey & Appau, Samuelson, 2015. "Microcredit and Poverty Reduction in Bangladesh: Beyond Publication Bias, Does Genuine Effect Exist?," EconStor Preprints 123722, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.

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