The Government of India and the RBI have taken various measures to promote and deepen financial inclusion in India. One of the more recent and innovative channels of increasing financial inclusion has been through kiosk banking. The study seeks to … Read More
Publications
The Economics and Psychology of Long-term Savings and Pensions: A Randomised Experiment Among Low-income Entrepreneurs in Maharashtra, India
This report presents findings from a study that examines determinants of long-term savings among low-income households through marketing interventions and incentives.
Socioeconomic and Gender Analysis of Tribal Populations in India
This report presents insights from a baseline evaluation study to assess socioeconomic status in rural tribal regions of seven districts in five states: Chhattisgarh (Bastar, Kanker); Madhya Pradesh (Mandla, Shahdol); Orissa (Koraput); Rajasthan (Sirohi) and West Bengal (West Midnapur).
Smallholder Access to Weather Securities in India: Demand and Impact on Production Decisions
This report presents findings from a study that seeks to make weather-index insurance simple, transparent, flexible and affordable for smallholder farmers.
Increasing Women’s Participation in Community-based Livelihoods Interventions
This report presents findings and lessons learnt from an assessment of the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project – Jeevika.
Do Flexible Repayment Schedules Improve the Impact of Microcredit? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Rural India
In this paper, the authors present findings from a randomized evaluation of flexible microcredit repayment schedules relative to “normal” inflexible, fixed repayment schedules.
The Need for Better Evidence to Evaluate the Health & Economic Benefits of India’s Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
In this review the existing evidence on the impact of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is discussed in the context of international literature available on health insurance. We describe potential pathways through which health insurance can affect health and economic … Read More
Assessment of Karnataka’s Akshaya Shakti Nidhi (Green Energy Fund)
The Karnataka Renewable Energy Policy (2009-14) sets a target of generating an additional 4200 MW through renewable energy (RE) sources. As part of this policy, the Government of Karnataka (GoK) plans to introduce a “Green Energy Cess” on commercial and … Read More
KGFS: Impact on Lending Patterns
This brief presents preliminary results from an evaluation of access to formal finance in Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted by researchers from EPoD – Harvard and Duke University, in partnership with LEAD.
Implementation of a Women-based Community Driven Development (CDD) Programme in Tamil Nadu: The Pudhu Vaazhvu Project (PVP)
This case study examines one community driven development project in southern India, called the Pudhu Vaazhvu Project (PVP). The study reveals that most poor families in the examined region are included in PVP PIP list (the PVP’s list of poor … Read More