The blog over at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)recently featured a post by Senior Economist Ralph De Haas, who describes a randomized evaluation of microfinance in Mongolia that recently completed fieldwork. Although analysis is ongoing, with full results expected in July of this year, data from the baseline is already providing interesting insights. Dr. De Haas points out three particularly interesting stats:
1. Almost half of the women in the study, who were identified to participate specifically because they were in need of access to finance, already had loans at the time of baseline. (46%)
2. Most women have long term debts-the majority of loans reported had been taken out in 2007-2008.
3. The majority of this debt (70-80%) was reported to have been spent on consumption, not business activities.
It will be interesting to see how the results of IPA's impact evaluations in Morocco, Mexico, and the Philippines compare...
Editor’s Note: I’m going to assume that you are seeing plenty of AI content (news and papers, not AI slop, though I’m sure you’re getting plenty of that too) from other sources, so I’m trying to think hard about the marginal value that the faiV can provide. As far as I’ve gotten so far: a) make sure that directly AI-related content does not take up more than 2 of the 5 items, and b) try to focus specifically on the cybersecurity issue for financial inclusion. Beyond that, I’m open to feedback on the value you get from the faiV in relation to AI to help guide us in the future. On a different note, I’ll be making a brief cameo appearance at the e-MFP Inclusive Finance Conference to moderate the opening plenary. If you haven’t registered, do so and I hope to see you there! - Tim Ogden