Impact of Financial Inclusion on Household Welfare in Liberia: A Gendered Perspective
Loading...
Date
2022-03
Authors
Mulbah, Francis F.B.
Olumeh, Dennis E.
Mantey, Vida
Ipara, Billy Okemer
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Financial inclusion is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
particularly zero poverty, gender equality, and reduced inequalities, but there is
limited evidence of its impacts on household welfare in fragile and post-conflict
countries. This study analyses the impact of financial inclusion on household welfare in
Liberia using the Liberian Household Income and Expenditure Survey of 2016‒17. For
the empirical analysis, we use an inverse probability-weighted regression adjustment
model and separate analyses for male-headed households (MHHs) and female-headed
households (FHHs) to identify possible gender differences. We find that the use of
mobile money significantly increases household food security for MHHs and FHHs.
In particular, the welfare impact is greater for MHHs in terms of food availability while
in relation to food quality and dietary diversity, the impact is greater for FHHs. These
findings show the need to scale up financial inclusion in fragile and post-conflict
countries as a catalyst for improving household welfare
Description
Keywords
Financial inclusion; Mobile money; Fragile and post-conflict countries; gender; Impact; Welfare; Liberia