Coordinators: Prof. Lore Vandewalle (CFD) and Dr. Vincent Somville (Christian Michelsen Institute, Norway)
Research Team: Rahul Mehrotra, Julia Seiermann, Dr. Jean-Marie Baland, Prof. Stefan Klasen, Prof. Karl Ove Moene, Prof. Rohini Somanathan
Grant from the Research Council of Norway (2013-2016)
In India, a significant proportion of households, especially in rural areas, are outside the coverage of the formal banking system. But recent advances in mobile technology provide an opportunity to easily expand the access to formal financial services. People can use mobile phones to save, transfer money to other users and receive payments from the Government. Together with their partner Basix Sub-K, the Norwegian/Swiss research team set up various randomised controlled trials that allow them to address major gaps in research on the financial lives of the poor, such as the interactions between formal and informal financial institutions, saving behaviour and the effects of cash versus electronic payments on household finances.
Increasing Trust in the Bank to Enhance Savings: Experimental Evidence from India
Rahul Mehrotra, Vincent Somville & Lore Vandewalle, CMI WP 2016:1, 2016
Saving by Default: Evidence from a Field Experiment in India
Vincent Somville & Lore Vandewalle, IHEID WP 01-2015, 2015
Can Bank Account-Based Payments Boost Savings?
Vincent Somville & Lore Vandewalle, Ideas for India column, 6 April 2015
Switching from Cash to Account-Based Transfers Triggers Savings Among the Poor
Vincent Somville & Lore Vandewalle, Vox column, 11 May 2015
