Does access to finance improve household welfare?

Abstract

In this paper, the author develops an econometric framework to analyze the effect of access to credit on the economic welfare of households in Vietnam. The findings confirm that household credit contributes positively and significantly to the economic welfare of households in terms of per capita expenditure, per capita food expenditure and per capita non-food expenditure. The positive effect of credit on household economic welfare is observed regardless of whether they are poor or better-off households. The author also finds that credit has a greater positive effect on the economic welfare of poorer households and finds that the age of the household head, the household size, land ownership, and savings and the availability of credit at village level are key factors that affect household borrowing. Some policy implications are drawn.