There’s some great reading this week on behavioral economics, mobile banking, over-indebtedness, microinsurance and more. Check it out and if you would like to make an addition to the list, please do so via comments.
- Rachel Glennerster and Michael Kremer on how small incentives can lead to changes in behavior in The Boston Review.
- A response to The Boston Review article: Behavioral economics & RCTs: trumpeted, attacked and parried.
- RisingPyramid article on the link between behavioral economics and development.
- David Bornstein op/ed on "Grameen and the Public Good."
- Wondering what’s happening with Yunus vs. Bangladesh government? Read this summary of the court decision against Yunus, which is now under appeal.
- Q&A with Muhammad Yunus in the Wall Street Journal.
- PBS’ Newshhour on the recent turmoil in Andhra Pradesh.
- Karuna Krishnaswamy provides some insights into over-indebtedness using fresh data from India on the CGAP blog.
- Ever wondered about the history of microfinance in the U.S.? Wait no longer. The Opportunity Fund produced an eye catching and informative brochure answering your questions.
- A selection of research papers on the microinsurance revolution.
- Microfinance Horizon: Income Shocks and Household Risk-Coping Strategies: Evidence from Rural Vietnam
- Gates Foundation’s Jake Kendall on Small Business Might Be Big Business for Mobile Money.
- Driving Customer Usage of Mobile Money for the Unbanked.
Editors’ Note: Hi, Laura and Jonathan here. A few of the pieces this week come from people who spent years up close with how poor households actually handle money, and keep coming back with something more tangled than the story usually told, and more persistent. Tim will be back for the next edition. - Laura Freschi and Jonathan Morduch