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What are the headwaters of formal savings? Experimental evidence from Sri Lanka

Author

Listed:
  • Callen, Michael
  • De Mel, Suresh
  • McIntosh, Craig
  • Woodruff, Christopher
Abstract
The world's poor are seeing a rapid expansion in access to formal savings accounts. What is the source of savings when households are connected to a formal account? We combine a high-frequency panel survey spanning two and a half years with an experiment in which a Sri Lankan bank used mobile Point-of-Service (POS) terminals to collect deposits directly from households each week. We find that the headwaters of formal savings lie in sacrificed leisure time: households work more, and improved savings options generate an increase in labour effort in both self-employment and in the wage market. The results suggest that the labour allocation channel is an important mechanism linking savings opportunities to income.

Suggested Citation

  • Callen, Michael & De Mel, Suresh & McIntosh, Craig & Woodruff, Christopher, 2019. "What are the headwaters of formal savings? Experimental evidence from Sri Lanka," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 103022, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:103022
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/103022/
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Galdo, Jose C., 2021. "Using Bank Savings Product Design for Empowering Women and Agricultural Development," IZA Discussion Papers 14523, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2022. "Epidemic Exposure, Financial Technology, and the Digital Divide," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(7), pages 1913-1940, October.
    3. Pierre Bachas & Paul Gertler & Sean Higgins & Enrique Seira, 2021. "How Debit Cards Enable the Poor to Save More," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(4), pages 1913-1957, August.
    4. Catia Batista & Pedro C. Vicente, 2018. "Is mobile money changing rural Africa? Evidence from a field experiment," NOVAFRICA Working Paper Series wp1805, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics, NOVAFRICA.
    5. Giné, Xavier & Goldberg, Jessica, 2023. "Experience in financial decision-making: Field evidence from Malawi," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    6. Cruces, Guillermo, 2023. "Conditional Cash Transfers, Debit Cards and Financial Inclusion: Experimental Evidence from Argentina," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13034, Inter-American Development Bank.
    7. repec:zbw:bofitp:2021_013 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2021. "Epidemic Exposure, Fintech Adoption, and the Digital Divide," NBER Working Papers 29006, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Silva, Cinthya & Pino, Gabriel, 2024. "Financial inclusion and roof quality: Satellite evidence from Chilean slums," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    10. DiTraglia, Francis J. & García-Jimeno, Camilo & O’Keeffe-O’Donovan, Rossa & Sánchez-Becerra, Alejandro, 2023. "Identifying causal effects in experiments with spillovers and non-compliance," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 235(2), pages 1589-1624.
    11. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2022. "Epidemic Exposure, Financial Technology, and the Digital Divide," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(7), pages 1913-1940, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    savings; intertemporal labour supply; high-frequency surveys; household decision-making;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages

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