Search our database of 1,200+ summaries of randomized evaluations conducted by our affiliates in 98 countries. To browse key policy recommendations from a subset of these evaluations, visit the Policy Publications tab above.

Displaying 129-136 of 322
Two woman selling fruits on a sidewalk in Cartagena, Colombia

Impacts of Flexible Loans on Borrower Behavior and Microenterprise Outcomes in Colombia

Lasse Brune
Xavier Giné
Dean Karlan
Researchers evaluated the impact of a flexible microloan product on new clients' repayment behavior, business outcomes, and client satisfaction. The results showed that the flexible loan led to some shifts in investment behavior but had no average impact on revenue or profits and led to higher...
Two women use mobile money to complete a transaction.

Decreasing Mobile Money Vendor Misconduct through Information Sharing in Ghana

Francis Annan
In Ghana, researchers evaluated the impact of providing vendors and consumers with information on official mobile money charges and options for recourse for consumers to report being overcharged. The program led to a decrease in misconduct, which in turn facilitated an increase in market activity...
A person holding a red and yellow cocoa pod in Ghana

The Impact of a Digital Credit for Small-Scale Farmers in Ghana

Monica Lambon-Quayefio
Utsav Manjeer
Christopher Udry
Researchers are evaluating the impact of an innovative mobile phone-based digital finance program on loan repayment rates, investment decisions, savings, and use of other financial services, as well as agricultural yields and profits.
J-PAL logo

Expanding Financial Access Via Credit Cards: Evidence from Mexico

Sara G. Castellanos
Diego J. Jiménez Hernández
Aprajit Mahajan
Researchers leveraged data from a randomized evaluation conducted by a large bank in Mexico to test the impact of varying credit card contract terms on loan default, card cancellation rates, and bank revenue for first-time formal sector borrowers. Variations in the interest rate and minimum payment...
Women in Kataek, Uganda, make cloths to sell in small-scale trading.

Improving Women’s Labor and Welfare Outcomes through Microfinance in Uganda

Oriana Bandiera
Robin Burgess
Erika Deserranno
Imran Rasul
Munshi Sulaiman
Researchers in rural Western Uganda tested whether a microfinance program can help women borrowers switch out of subsistence agriculture to other labor activities, such as entrepreneurship or small-scale trading. While microloans helped women switch into service-based jobs including small-scale...
Group of people use hoes to till field

The Role of Social Connections in the Delivery of Extension Services and Technology Adoption in Uganda

Oriana Bandiera
Robin Burgess
Erika Deserranno
Ricardo Morel
Imran Rasul
Munshi Sulaiman
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test both the impact of BRAC’s extension program on economic outcomes and the role of social incentives in shaping the delivery of the program to farmers. While they found that overall, farmers in villages that received the program had higher...
Cash transfers

Improving Economic Outcomes and Well-being through Unconditional Cash Transfers and Goal-Setting in Kenya

Stefan Dercon
Robert Garlick
Johannes Haushofer
Mahreen Mahmud
Kate Orkin
Richard Sedlmayr
Research has shown that people living in poverty are more likely to experience a range of psychological barriers that might constrain economic success. These barriers may include lower aspirations and goals, a perception that their actions have limited impacts on their circumstances, time...
Social distancing in Ghana

Cash and Compliance with Social Distancing in Ghana

Dean Karlan
Matt Lowe
Robert Osei
Isaac Osei-Akoto
Benjamin Roth
Christopher Udry
The researchers aim to understand the role that digital cash transfers can play as a policy tool both to increase household resilience during the pandemic and to stem the spread of the disease by increasing adherence to social distancing in Ghana.