A live conversation on what the latest findings from the US can add to what we know about making small loans to low-income families
Thanks to everyone who joined our discussion on October 16th about the latest developments in research on the impact of microfinance. Below you’ll find the recording and a list of relevant resources. During the webinar Tim and Jonathan discussed the rise of RCTs in microfinance research, new lenses for thinking about the impact of MFIs, and priorities for future research. If you’re interested in talking more about the future of microfinance more broadly, check out FinDev Gateway’s webinar next Tuesday. Tim and Jonathan also touched on the impact of microcredit on savings, and the difficulties of measuring savings. If you’re interested in hearing more about savings, tune into our upcoming webinar on savings, in partnership with the Aspen Institute.
Watch the recording here
This event was part of CFI’s Financial Inclusion Week.
In the last 10 years researchers have generated a large handful of microfinance impact evaluations—mainly from countries in the southern hemisphere and mainly using RCT methods. In this 30-minute live video chat, Jonathan Morduch and Tim Ogden of FAI discuss connections between the studies, including the latest findings from the U.S.—a randomized evaluation of the Grameen America microcredit program in New Jersey. What can we learn from these findings? How do they shape expectations for new programs? And what do we learn for the role of microcredit in the financial lives of low-income households? #FinclusionWeek
Interesting Sources:
MDRC, Putting Microfinance to the Test 18-Month Impacts of the Grameen America Program (2020)
Breza and Kinnan, Measuring the Equilibrium Impacts of Credit: Evidence from the Indian Microfinance Crisis (2018)
Cull, Demirgüç-Kunt, and Morduch, The Microfinance Business Model: Enduring Subsidy and Modest Profit (2017)
Tim Ogden, The Case for Social Investment in Microcredit (2016)
Banerjee, Karlan, and Zinman, Six Randomized Evaluations of Microcredit (2015)
Brookings, The Future of Microfinance (2020)
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