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Self-Help Groups and Mutual Assistance: Evidence from Urban Kenya

Author

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  • Fafchamps, Marcel
  • La Ferrara, Eliana
Abstract
This paper examines the incomes of individuals who have joined self-help groups in poor neighborhoods of Nairobi. Self-help groups are often advocated as a way of facilitating income pooling. We find that incomes are indeed more correlated among individuals in the same group than among individuals who belong to different groups. Using an original methodology, we test whether this correlation is due to self-selection of similar individuals into the same groups. We find that this correlation is not driven by positive assortative matching. If anything, selection works in the opposite direction: incomes from group activities would be more correlated if individuals were matched at random. These findings are consistent with the idea that self-help groups play a mutual assistance role.

Suggested Citation

  • Fafchamps, Marcel & La Ferrara, Eliana, 2011. "Self-Help Groups and Mutual Assistance: Evidence from Urban Kenya," CEPR Discussion Papers 8452, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8452
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. De Weerdt, Joachim & Dercon, Stefan, 2006. "Risk-sharing networks and insurance against illness," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 337-356, December.
    2. Marcel Fafchamps, 2003. "Rural Poverty, Risk and Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3127.
    3. Alberto Alesina & Eliana La Ferrara, 2000. "Participation in Heterogeneous Communities," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(3), pages 847-904.
    4. Siwan Anderson & Jean-Marie Baland, 2002. "The Economics of Roscas and Intrahousehold Resource Allocation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(3), pages 963-995.
    5. La Ferrara, Eliana, 2002. "Inequality and group participation: theory and evidence from rural Tanzania," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 235-273, August.
    6. DeanS. Karlan, 2007. "Social connections and group banking," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(517), pages 52-84, February.
    7. Dercon, Stefan & De Weerdt, Joachim & Bold, Tessa & Pankhurst, Alula, 2006. "Group-based funeral insurance in Ethiopia and Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 685-703, April.
    8. Fafchamps, Marcel & Gubert, Flore, 2007. "The formation of risk sharing networks," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 326-350, July.
    9. Fafchamps, Marcel & Lund, Susan, 2003. "Risk-sharing networks in rural Philippines," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 261-287, August.
    10. Dasgupta, Partha, 1995. "An Inquiry into Well-Being and Destitution," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198288350.
    11. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4392 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Siwan Anderson & Jean-Marie Baland, 2002. "The Economics of Roscas and Intrahousehold Resource Allocation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(3), pages 963-995.
    13. Giorgio Topa, 2001. "Social Interactions, Local Spillovers and Unemployment," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 68(2), pages 261-295.
    14. Arcand, Jean-Louis & Fafchamps, Marcel, 2012. "Matching in community-based organizations," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 203-219.
    15. Miguel, Edward & Gugerty, Mary Kay, 2005. "Ethnic diversity, social sanctions, and public goods in Kenya," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(11-12), pages 2325-2368, December.
    16. Abigail Barr & Marleen Dekker & Marcel Fafchamps, 2008. "Risk Sharing Relations and Enforcement Mechanisms," CSAE Working Paper Series 2008-14, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    17. Conley, T. G., 1999. "GMM estimation with cross sectional dependence," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 92(1), pages 1-45, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bansi Malde & Marcos Vera-Hernández, 2022. "Spillovers of Community-Based Health Interventions on Consumption Smoothing," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(4), pages 1591-1629.
    2. Auriol, Emmanuelle & Straub, Stéphane & Flochel, Thomas, 2016. "Public Procurement and Rent-Seeking: The Case of Paraguay," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 395-407.
    3. Paul Anand & Swati Saxena & Rolando Gonzales Martinez & Hai-Anh H. Dang, 2020. "Can Women’s Self-help Groups Contribute to Sustainable Development? Evidence of Capability Changes from Northern India," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 137-160, April.
    4. Brian P. Greaney & Joseph P. Kaboski & Eva Van Leemput, 2016. "Can Self-Help Groups Really Be "Self-Help"?," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 83(4), pages 1614-1644.
    5. Francesco Reito & Salvatore Spagano, 2014. "A Comparison between Formal and Informal Mutual-credit Arrangements," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 52(2), pages 179-201, June.
    6. Rachel Cassidy & Marcel Fafchamps, 2015. "Can community-based microfinance groups match savers with borrowers? Evidence from rural Malawi," CSAE Working Paper Series 2015-13, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    7. Gift Dafuleya & Fiona Tregenna, 2021. "How effectively do households insure food consumption and assets against funeral expenses? The case of urban Zimbabwe," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 987-1021, December.
    8. Bennett, Rachel & Chepngeno-Langat, Gloria & Evandrou, Maria & Falkingham, Jane, 2015. "Resilience in the face of post-election violence in Kenya: The mediating role of social networks on wellbeing among older people in the Korogocho informal settlement, Nairobi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 159-167.
    9. Parantap Basu & Sigit Sulistiyo Wibowo, 2015. "An Empirical Investigation of Risk Sharing among Indonesian Households," CEGAP Working Papers 2015_02, Durham University Business School.
    10. Nicholas Sabin, 2023. "Choosing partners: selection priorities of joint liability group leaders," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(1), pages 323-348, January.
    11. Yuejun Lawrance Cai, 2023. "Strengthening perceptions of virtual team cohesiveness and effectiveness in new normal: A hyperpersonal communication theory perspective," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 1649-1682, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Income pooling; Self-help groups;

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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