Reducing Poverty in Post-Reform Economies

Principal Investigators: Stephen R. Boucher, University of California - Davis; Carolina Trivelli Avila, Instituto de Estudios Peruanos

Publications & Outputs   |   Project Proposal

Problem & Objective
With the liberalization of rural financial markets, rural households are reliant on private markets for access to credit, savings, and insurance services. It is unclear whether the rural poor are adequately served by the private market and whether or not privatization has created an efficient mechanism to promote economic growth and reduce poverty.

Research Context
The researchers will create a household-level panel data set for Mexico and Peru, investigating whether the recently liberalized rural financial markets are meeting the needs of the rural poor. Analysis of these data will allow the researchers to assess the impact of financial market access on household welfare, production decisions, and the ability to accumulate assets over time.

Policy Implications
By understanding the factors which encourage or prevent poor households from participating in the private rural financial market, policy makers may be able to help the rural poor by addressing issues related to financial market access and development.

Publications and Outputs

BASIS Briefs   |   Other Publications   |    Trip Reports

• Weighing Risks: Short and Long Term Impacts of Credit Constraints, by Steve Boucher and Agnes Quisumbing. May 2006. 4 pages. (BASIS Brief no. 44)
  [Adobe Acrobat PDF 47K]
• Meeting the Needs of the Rural Poor through Post-Reform Financial Markets, by Stephen R. Boucher, J. Edward Taylor, Carolina Trivelli Avila, Antonio Yunez Naude and Javier Escobal D'Angelo. November 2003, 4 pages (BASIS Brief No. 18)
  [Adobe Acrobat PDF 53K bytes]

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