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Financial access and household welfare : evidence from Mauritania

Author

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  • Amendola,Alessandra
  • Boccia,Marinella
  • Mele,Gianluca
  • Sensini,Luca

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact of access to credit from banks and other financialinstitutions on household welfare in Mauritania. Micro-level data from a 2014 household survey are used to evaluate the relationship between credit access, a range of household characteristics, and welfare indicators. To address potential endogeneity issues, the household isolation level is used to instrument access to credit. The results show that households headed by older, more educated people are more likely to access financial services, as are households located in urban areas. In addition, greater financial access appears to be associated with a reduced dependence on household production and increased investment in human capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Amendola,Alessandra & Boccia,Marinella & Mele,Gianluca & Sensini,Luca, 2016. "Financial access and household welfare : evidence from Mauritania," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7533, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:7533
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    Cited by:

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    2. Dina Chhorn, 2018. "Effect of Microfinance on Poverty and Welfare: New Evidence from 9 provinces in Cambodia," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2018-12, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    3. Nordjo, R. & Adjasi, C., 2018. "The Impact of Finance on Welfare of Smallholder Farm Household in Ghana," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277142, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Koloma, Yaya, 2019. "Microfinance et réduction de la pauvreté selon le genre au Mali : un réexamen des données de 2007-2008 [Microfinance and Poverty Reduction by Gender in Mali: A Review of 2007-2008 data]," MPRA Paper 94745, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    Keywords

    Debt Markets; Banks&Banking Reform; Economic Theory&Research; Access to Finance; Rural Poverty Reduction;
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