Experimental Design
Enumerators identified market vendors and bicycle drivers in specific areas around the town and gave a background survey to everyone who agreed to participate. Of those without savings accounts already, 392 individuals remained: 262 female vendors, 34 male vendors, and 92 male bicycle drivers.
These individuals were randomized into treatment and control groups stratified by gender and occupation. Members of the control group were also offered the opportunity to open a savings account, but were not offered financial assistance.
Participants were asked to keep a daily logbook keeping track of income, expenditure, business modules, labor supplies, and transfers given and received. Enumerators made frequent visits to ensure proper completion, and small monetary rewards were offered for adequate participation.
Data collected included a background survey of baseline characteristics of participants, administrative data from the village bank, tests of time and risk preference, a cognitive test, and data from the logbooks.
250 total logbooks were collected from the participants: 170 from female vendors, 25 from male vendors, and 55 from male bicycle drivers. 96 female vendors were assigned to the control group, 74 to the treatment group. 39 male vendors and bicycle drivers were assigned to the control group; 41 to the treatment group. The treatment was administered in three waves: the first wave of treatment occurred in May 2006, the second in June 2007, and the third in June 2009. Participants in all waves recorded logbooks for the same time period during each wave: from mid-September to mid-December.