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Credit access and life satisfaction: evaluating the nonmonetary effects of micro finance

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  • Leonardo Becchetti
  • Pierluigi Conzo

Abstract

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are used to claim that their impact goes beyond money since rescuing from exclusion uncollateralized poor borrowers significantly affects their dignity, self-esteem, social recognition, future economic perspectives and, through it, life satisfaction. Our article aims to verify the validity of this claim by evaluating whether access to microfinance loans has significant direct impact on life satisfaction beyond its indirect impact via current income changes. Empirical findings on a sample of poor borrowers in the suburbs of Buenos Aires show that, after controlling for survivorship, selection and interview bias, microfinance membership has a significant and positive effect on life satisfaction.

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  • Leonardo Becchetti & Pierluigi Conzo, 2013. "Credit access and life satisfaction: evaluating the nonmonetary effects of micro finance," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(9), pages 1201-1217, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:45:y:2013:i:9:p:1201-1217
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2011.624086
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    3. Anna-Maria Kanzola & Konstantina Papaioannou & Demosthenes G. Kollias & Panagiotis E. Petrakis, 2024. "State’s Role in Income Inequality: Social Preferences and Life Satisfaction," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 30(3), pages 279-297, August.
    4. Panagiotis E. Petrakis & Anna-Maria Kanzola, 2022. "On the Micro-Foundations of Creative Economy: Life Satisfaction and Social Identity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, April.

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