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Cash in Hand and Savings Decisions

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  • Lisa Spantig
Abstract
Cash is an important means of transaction, generally assumed to be fungible. However, behavioral economics and consumer research show that ‘cash in hand’, physically holding on to cash and then handing it away, affects purchasing decisions. I study how cash in hand influences decisions in a different but very important domain: savings. Savings accounts are a promising tool for reducing poverty, but the use of savings accounts is often puzzlingly low. Holding on to cash that needs to be physically deposited into a savings account may increase the psychological costs of saving. This study experimentally identifies the causal effect of cash in hand on savings deposits of microfinance clients in the Philippines. In contrast to many laboratory and several field studies with similar interventions, I do not find reduced savings deposits due to cash in hand. I discuss reasons for and consequence of this surprising finding, in particular for developing economics where lots of transactions are still cash-based.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisa Spantig, 2019. "Cash in Hand and Savings Decisions," CESifo Working Paper Series 7767, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7767
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    2. Kozo UEDA & Hinata Sasaki, 2024. "Do Cashless Payments Stimulate Spending? Evidence from QR Code Payment Campaigns and Bank Transaction Data in Japan," CIGS Working Paper Series 24-008E, The Canon Institute for Global Studies.
    3. Jessica B. Hoel & Prachi Jain & Bridget Galaty, 2022. "JUST VENMO ME: Does form of payment affect risk taking and intertemporal choice?," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 8(1), pages 16-33, December.
    4. Silva, Emmanuel Marques & Moreira, Rafael de Lacerda & Bortolon, Patricia Maria, 2023. "Mental Accounting and decision making: a systematic literature review," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 107(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cash; savings; experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General
    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • G40 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - General

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