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32. The Poverty-Reducing Effects of Financial Inclusion: Evidence from Cambodia
- Author:
- Kimty Seng
- Publication Date:
- 09-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- This study analyses the effects of financial inclusion on poverty in terms of household income per capita in Cambodia, with data from the FinScope Survey carried out in 2015. The analysis describes the effects via financial literacy, accounting for endogenous selection bias resulting from unobserved confounders and for structural differences between users and non-users of financial services in terms of income functions. The findings suggest that the use of financial services is very likely to make a great contribution to reducing household budget deficits and poverty if the users, female in particular, have at least basic financial knowledge.
- Topic:
- Poverty, Inequality, Finance, and Financial Services
- Political Geography:
- Asia and Cambodia
33. Financial Inclusion and Savings in Indonesia
- Author:
- Rashesh Shrestha and Samuel Nursamsu
- Publication Date:
- 09-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- This paper discusses the status of financial inclusion in Indonesia and examines the impact of financial inclusion – based on availability of bank branches on household outcomes – in Indonesia. Based on analysis of the World Bank’s Financial Inclusion Survey (FINDEX) data, Indonesia has made some progress on expanding financial inclusion. The share of individuals with bank accounts rose from less than 20% to just under 50% in 2017. Interestingly, while the gain between 2011 and 2014 was greater for individuals in the upper 60 percentile of income, the gains between 2014 and 2017 were more pro-poor. This progress was made possible due to concerted government efforts to expand financial inclusion. In our empirical analysis, we study how financial inclusion enables households with income gains into savings for assets and earnings. Using the Indonesian Family Life Survey data, we find that living in areas with high density of bank branches helps poor households accumulate savings. The marginal effect of financial inclusion on savings is highest amongst the households in the bottom quintile of per capita consumption distribution. Thus, access to formal financial institutions can lead to improvement in household welfare.
- Topic:
- Inequality, Finance, Banks, and Domestic Policy
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia, Asia-Pacific, and Indo-Pacific
34. Financial Inclusion, Active Bank Accounts and Poverty Reduction in India
- Author:
- Tony Cavoli, Ilke Onur, and Patricia Sourdin
- Publication Date:
- 09-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- Using the World Bank’s Global Findex data, this research first shows that the efforts by the Indian Government and the Reserve Bank have been successful in providing access to formal banking services, especially in the rural areas of the country. Similarly, financial account ownership gap has been eliminated in terms of gender and income. Further analysis, using the Financial Inclusion Insights dataset, shows that financial inclusion has a positive and significant effect on reducing poverty in India. A closer look at the utilisation of the financial accounts shows that active usage of these accounts would lead to further reductions in poverty levels in India. Therefore, targeted programmes, such as offering financial education both in and outside schools, with the aim of improving financial literacy, could lead to further poverty reduction in India.
- Topic:
- Education, Poverty, Finance, and Banks
- Political Geography:
- India and Asia
35. Exposing the Financial Footprints of North Korea’s Hackers
- Author:
- Jason Bartlett
- Publication Date:
- 11-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security
- Abstract:
- North Korea conducts intricate and sweeping cyberattacks against the United States and its allies to acquire funds to support its illicit nuclear proliferation efforts. Unlike more economically advanced nuclear states possessing domestic research, development, and deployment capacities to establish weapon of mass destruction (WMD) programs, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) must seek financial resources, assistance, and institutional knowledge, at least initially, from overseas. It has developed its cyber capabilities in order to circumvent financial sanctions and global safeguards, conducting elaborate online bank heists and hacking attacks; stealing funds through fraudulent bank transfers, Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) transactions, and ATM cash-outs; launching ransomware attacks demanding payment in cryptocurrency; and hacking cryptocurrency exchanges. The scale and sophistication of these innovative sanctions evasion tactics create a challenge that calls for stronger measures to confront them. In addition to providing policy recommendations for U.S. leadership and financial institutions, this report will outline the ways North Korea supports, expands, and utilizes cyber operations to acquire funds for its nuclear weapons program.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, Cybersecurity, and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Asia, North Korea, North America, and United States of America
36. Increasing Aid and Development Financing Volumes for the Advancement of Education in Lower-Middle-Income Countries
- Author:
- Christian Novak
- Publication Date:
- 01-2020
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
- Abstract:
- To advance education in lowermiddle-income countries, official donors and multilateral development banks must increase their financial support to address the financial gap. Specific recommendations: • Expand the use of innovative development financing solutions. • Expand the use of innovative aid solutions. • Multilateral development banks to increase financing volumes and to strengthen efforts to maximize financial additionality and private capital mobilization. • Review the classification of LICs and LMICs. • Increase domestic budget allocation. Implementing the recommendations require coordinated efforts of all stakeholders. In addition, it is paramount that lower-middleincome countries design and fully implement effective long-term education programs and systems. Benchmarking and feedback must be constant, prompting sustained improvement and the adoption of international best practices.
- Topic:
- Development, Education, United Nations, Foreign Aid, Finance, and Sustainable Development Goals
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
37. Study of State Finances 2020-21 (Provisional)
- Author:
- Avani Kapur, Sharad Pandey, U Ranjan, and Vastav Irava
- Publication Date:
- 05-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for Policy Research, India
- Abstract:
- The ‘Study of State Finances 2020-21’ Working Paper delves into the revenue and expenditure performance of 17 States. As the COVID-19 pandemic tightens its grip, this timely analysis offers a unique window into the fiscal space available with States prior to the lockdown. This information is critical at a time when they are expected to craft adequate social protection responses and restart their economies.
- Topic:
- Economics, Governance, Finance, and COVID-19
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
38. State Education Finances: A Deep-Dive into School Education Finances in Eight States
- Author:
- Mridusmita Bordoloi, Sharad Pandey, and Ruchi Junnarkar
- Publication Date:
- 11-2020
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Centre for Policy Research, India
- Abstract:
- This study is an attempt to provide an in-depth understanding of school education financing in India through an analysis of expenditures incurred across eight states from FY 2014-15 to FY 2017-18.
- Topic:
- Education, Governance, Finance, and Public Policy
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
39. Financing Nutrition in India: Cost Implications of the Nutrition Policy Landscape 2019-20
- Author:
- Avani Kapur, Ritwik Shukla, Manan Thakkar, and Purnima Menon
- Publication Date:
- 07-2020
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Centre for Policy Research, India
- Abstract:
- India should have spent at least ₹38,571 crore in 2019-20, across Union government ministries and State government departments to fully finance a set of core direct nutrition interventions (DNIs), at scale. In this study, you will find information on nutrition costing. It carries forward critical studies that costed for nutrition interventions.
- Topic:
- Government, Food, and Finance
- Political Geography:
- South Asia and India
40. The Effect of Export Insurance and Guarantees on Export Performance: An Empirical Analysis for Korea
- Author:
- Kyunghun Kim and Hyelin Choi
- Publication Date:
- 08-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
- Abstract:
- There is a series of empirical papers (Kim and Lee 2004; Egger and Url, 2006; Moser, Nestmann, and Wedow, 2008; Baltensperger and Herger, 2009; Auboin and Engemann, 2014; Van der Veer. 2015) which show that trade finance is positively associated with export. Despite its positive impact on export, trade finance has been a contentious issue in international organizations such as the WTO and OECD in terms of implementing related policy measures. This is based on the argument that trade finance hurts fair international trade because it ultimately plays a role just like a subsidy. Regarding this contentious issue, in this paper we examine whether there is evidence supporting that trade finance is associated with an increase in export. We also investigate the channel through which the effect of the trade finance on export is working. To this end, we focus on a specific part of trade finance: short-term export insurance and export credit guarantee. This is because noble and ample data on these types of trade insurance are available. This confidential data is provided by the Korea Insurance Trade Corporation (henceforth K-SURE) exclusively. We conduct a panel regression using Korean sector-level export data covering from 2010Q1 to 2017Q4. This dataset enables us to control for destination country-, sector-, and time-fixed effects. Our empirical results show that the short-term export insurance and export credit guarantee have a positive impact on exports, and the main channel behind this is related to mitigating financial constraints of exporting firms. The trade finance effectively eliminates the risk of importers' payment, which helps export firms reduce the financial frictions. This ultimately leads to an increase in export. Since the main mechanism in which the trade insurance affects export is related to alleviating financial frictions, it becomes more definite that the way how trade insurance contributes to an increase in export is somewhat different from that of a subsidy. When we consider the fact that financial friction is an important factor for restraining international trade, which can partly explain the great collapse in international trade during the global financial crisis, the trade insurance policies would rather be a useful policy measure which can dampen negative impact on export during recession.
- Topic:
- Finance, Economic Policy, Exports, and Trade Policy
- Political Geography:
- Asia and South Korea