Are Mobile Savings the Silver Bullet to Help Women Grow Their Businesses?

This study promoted the expansion of mobile savings accounts among women micro-entrepreneurs and provided business related training

From:: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published: 1 October 2018

Country:: Indonesia, Tanzania
Document Type:: Briefing
Theme:: Economic Growth
Authors:: Bastain, G, Bianchi, I, Buvinic, M, Goldstein, M

Abstract

In Tanzania and Indonesia, we promoted the expansion of mobile savings accounts among women micro-entrepreneurs and provided them with business related training. In doing so, we simultaneously relaxed supply- and demand side constraints to savings that women might face. In both countries, the training enhanced the impact of promoting mobile savings. In Indonesia it led women to save more overall, including a nascent use of mobile accounts, and report greater decision making power within the household. In Tanzania, it led to substantially higher mobile savings, new businesses and products, more capital investment, labor effort, and better business practices. However, these short-term impacts have yet to translate into higher business profits. In Indonesia, we observe increased household welfare, but no discernible effects on business outcomes shortly after the training ended. In Tanzania, the increased business investments were not accompanied by greater profitability.

This work is part of the Closing the Gender Gap in Africa: evaluating new policies and programmes for women’s economic empowerment programme

Citation

Bastian, Gautam; Bianchi, Iacopo; Buvinic, Mayra; Goldstein, Markus; Jaluka, Tanvi; Knowles, James; Montalvao, Joao; Witoelar, Firman. 2018. Are Mobile Savings the Silver Bullet to Help Women Grow Their Businesses?. Gender Innovation Lab Policy Brief;No. 29. World Bank, Washington, DC.