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Scaling Financial Education Among Micro-Entrepreneurs: A Randomized Saturation Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Jana S. Hamdan
  • Tim Kaiser
  • Lukas Menkhoff
  • Yuanwei Xu

Abstract

We study the effects of scaling up a financial- and business education program in a randomized saturation experiment in Uganda. We randomly assign the program at the cluster-level, and then randomize the share of treated individuals within treated clusters. 15 months later, we find that treated entrepreneurs are more likely to use mobile money savings accounts and payments, increase their mobile money and bank savings at the intensive and extensive margins, and invest more. We find little evidence of spillovers on untreated peers, but as the share of treated entrepreneurs increases, beneficial effects on the treated decline.

Suggested Citation

  • Jana S. Hamdan & Tim Kaiser & Lukas Menkhoff & Yuanwei Xu, 2024. "Scaling Financial Education Among Micro-Entrepreneurs: A Randomized Saturation Experiment," CESifo Working Paper Series 11431, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11431
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    scaling; business training; financial literacy; micro-entrepreneurs; mobile money; spillover effects; saturation effects;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G53 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Financial Literacy
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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