We evaluate the effectiveness of microfinance as a recovery tool after tsunami by testing the impact of an equity injection from foreign donors which recapitalizes a Sri Lankan MFI and allows it to refinance borrowers seriously damaged by the calamity. We find that loans obtained from the MFI after the catastrophic event have a positive and significant effect on the change in real income and in weekly worked hours, and that the impact on performance variables is significantly stronger for damaged than non-damaged borrowers. Results hold after controlling for selection effects and for heterogeneity in both the timing of the intervention and the characteristics of treatment and control samples.
Does Microfinance Work as a Recovery Tool After Disasters? Evidence from the 2004 Tsunami
Becchetti L;
2011-01-01
Abstract
We evaluate the effectiveness of microfinance as a recovery tool after tsunami by testing the impact of an equity injection from foreign donors which recapitalizes a Sri Lankan MFI and allows it to refinance borrowers seriously damaged by the calamity. We find that loans obtained from the MFI after the catastrophic event have a positive and significant effect on the change in real income and in weekly worked hours, and that the impact on performance variables is significantly stronger for damaged than non-damaged borrowers. Results hold after controlling for selection effects and for heterogeneity in both the timing of the intervention and the characteristics of treatment and control samples.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
