RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Financial Inclusion, Shocks, and Poverty: Evidence from the Expansion of Mobile Money in Tanzania
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 1018-9796R1
DO 10.3368/jhr.57.2.1018-9796R1
A1 Olukorede Abiona
A1 Martin Foureaux Koppensteiner
YR 2020
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/02/14/jhr.57.2.1018-9796R1.abstract
AB We estimate the effect of mobile money adoption on consumption smoothing, poverty, and human capital investments in Tanzania. We exploit the rapid expansion of the mobile money agent network between 2010 and 2012 and use this together with idiosyncratic shocks from variation in rainfall over time and across space in a difference-in-difference framework. We find that adopter households are able to smooth consumption during periods of shocks and maintain their investments in human capital. Results on time use of children and labor force participation complement the findings on the important role of mobile money for the intergenerational transmission of poverty.