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The Impact of Mobile Money on Poor Rural Households : Experimental Evidence from Uganda

Author

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  • Wieser,Christina
  • Bruhn,Miriam
  • Kinzinger,Johannes Philipp
  • Ruckteschler,Christian Simon
  • Heitmann,Soren

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of rolling out mobile money agents in rural Northern Uganda. In a randomized experiment, 168 areas were randomly selected to receive an agent in 2017, with another 163 areas serving as a control group. Administrative data on mobile money transactions suggest that the agent rollout increased the probability of sending and receiving peer-to-peer transfers. Data from a 2018 survey of more than 4,500 households show that the agent rollout led to cost-savings for remittance transactions. It also doubled the nonfarm self-employment rate, from 3.4 to 6.4 percent, and reduced the fraction of households with very low food security from 62.9 to 47.2 percent, in areas far from a bank branch. The analysis finds no effect on savings, agricultural outcomes, or poverty. Overall, the findings add new evidence that mobile money can improve livelihoods even in poor and remote settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Wieser,Christina & Bruhn,Miriam & Kinzinger,Johannes Philipp & Ruckteschler,Christian Simon & Heitmann,Soren, 2019. "The Impact of Mobile Money on Poor Rural Households : Experimental Evidence from Uganda," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8913, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:8913
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    Cited by:

    1. Abate, Gashaw T. & Abay, Kibrom A. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Kassim, Yumna & Spielman, David J. & Paul Jr Tabe-Ojong, Martin, 2023. "Digital tools and agricultural market transformation in Africa: Why are they not at scale yet, and what will it take to get there?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    2. Kass-Hanna, Josephine & Lyons, Angela C. & Liu, Fan, 2022. "Building financial resilience through financial and digital literacy in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(PA).
    3. Jung, Suhyun & Rogers, Martha, 2024. "Mobile phone adoption, deforestation, and agricultural land use in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    4. Grzybowski, Lukasz & Lindlacher, Valentin & Mothobi, Onkokame, 2023. "Mobile money and financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    5. Gregor Dorfleitner & Quynh Anh Nguyen, 2024. "Mobile money for women’s economic empowerment: the mediating role of financial management practices," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(7), pages 1807-1836, July.
    6. Rodríguez-Castelán, Carlos & Araar, Abdelkrim & Malásquez, Eduardo A. & Granguillhome Ochoa, Rogelio, 2022. "Competition reform and household welfare: A microsimulation analysis of the telecommunication sector in Ethiopia," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(2).
    7. Richard Chamboko, 2022. "On the Role of Gender and Age in the Use of Digital Financial Services in Zimbabwe," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-15, September.
    8. Michael A. Clemens & Timothy N. Ogden, 2020. "Migration and household finances: How a different framing can improve thinking about migration," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 38(1), pages 3-27, January.
    9. Apeti, Ablam Estel, 2023. "Household welfare in the digital age: Assessing the effect of mobile money on household consumption volatility in developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    10. Lei, Xiaoyan & Shen, Yan & Yang, Ling, 2023. "Digital financial inclusion and subjective well-being – Evidence from China health and retirement longitudinal study," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    11. Li, Jingping & Zheng, Jin Di, 2023. "Pro-social preferences and risk aversion with different payment methods: Evidence from the laboratory," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 324-337.
    12. Oyebola Etudaiye-Muhtar, Fatima & Johan, Sofia & Lawal, Rodiat & Sakariyahu, Rilwan, 2024. "Fintech, human development and energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Lyons, Angela C. & Kass-Hanna, Josephine & Fava, Ana, 2022. "Fintech development and savings, borrowing, and remittances: A comparative study of emerging economies," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(PA).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ICT Economics; Inequality; Employment and Unemployment; Transport Services; Nutrition; Food Security;
    All these keywords.

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