Reaching the unreached: The ultra poverty reduction

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• 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
• Keywords: 経済政策 / 金融論 / 貧困削減

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.

Free Research Field

開発経済学