Six Randomized Evaluations of Microcredit: Introduction and Further Steps
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Banerjee_Six randomized.pdf
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Author(s) • •
Banerjee, Abhijit
Karlan, Dean S.
Zinman, Jonathan
Date Issued
January 2015
Journal
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Publisher
American Economic Association
Citation
Banerjee, Abhijit, Dean Karlan, and Jonathan Zinman. “Six Randomized Evaluations of Microcredit: Introduction and Further Steps.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 7, no. 1 (January 2015): 1–21.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Causal evidence on microcredit impacts informs theory, practice, and debates about its effectiveness as a development tool. The six randomized evaluations in this volume use a variety of sampling, data collection, experimental design, and econometric strategies to identify causal effects of expanded access to microcredit on borrowers and/or communities. These methods are deployed across an impressive range of locations—six countries on four continents, urban and rural areas—borrower characteristics, loan characteristics, and lender characteristics. Summarizing and interpreting results across studies, we note a consistent pattern of modestly positive, but not transformative, effects. We also discuss directions for future research. (JEL D14, G21, I38, O15, O16, P34, P36)
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20140287