Reaching the unreached: The ultra poverty reduction

• Project/Area Number: 24402023
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization
• Principal Investigator: Ito Seiro 独立行政法人日本貿易振興機構アジア経済研究所, 開発研究センターミクロ経済研究グループ, グループ長 (50450482)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Abu Shonchoy アジア経済研究所, 在ニューヨーク海外派遣員 (40617461) ; Takahashi Kazushi 上智大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (90450551)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Kurosaki Takashi 一橋大学, 経済研究所, 教授 (90293159)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥17,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,990,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000)
• Keywords: 経済政策 / 金融論 / 貧困削減 / 債務契約 / ランダム化比較対照試験 / 企業家能力 / 実験介入

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the barriers for the ultra poor to utilise microfinance. Namely, lack of entrepreneurship, a long waiting period, and higher default risks. We teamed up with an NGO that provides microfinance services to the ultra poor in Northern Bangladesh. We implemented: multiple rounds of household surveys and experimental interventions that randomly assign the eligibility to participate in which they are given a particular type of loan contract. Contract types are varied by the member groups: a regular sized loan, a large sized loan without a grace period, a large sized loan with a grace period, a large sized packaged loan for cow investments. Our first results are to appear in a peer reviewed journal.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] How Does Contract Design Affect the Uptake of Microcredit among the Ultra-poor? Experimental Evidence from the River Islands of Northern Bangladesh (2016)
  • Author(s): Kazushi Takahashi, Shonchoy Abu, Seiro Ito, Takashi Kurosaki
  • Journal Title: Journal of Development Studies Volume: forthcoming Issue: 4 Pages: 530-547
  • DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2016.1156092
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] How Does Contract Design Affect the Uptake of Microcredit among the Ultra-poor? Experimental Evidence from the River Islands of Northern Bangladesh (2015)
  • Author(s): Kazushi Takahashi
  • Organizer: Kyoto Development Economics Workshop
  • Place of Presentation: Kyoto Univ, Kyoto, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2015-03-03
• [Presentation] How Does Contract Design Affect the Uptake of Microcredit among the Ultra-poor? Experimental Evidence from the River Islands of Northern Bangladesh (2014)
  • Author(s): Abu Shonchoy
  • Organizer: 3ie conferences:Making Impact Evaluation Matter
  • Place of Presentation: Manila, The Philippines
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-01 – 2014-09-04
• [Presentation] Ramadan school holidays as a natural experiment (2012)
  • Author(s): 伊藤成朗
  • Organizer: Econometric Society (Austrasian Meeting)
  • Place of Presentation: メルボルン、オーストラリア
  • Year and Date: 2012-07-05