Photo by shameer pk on Shutterstock In the previous blog, we discussed about the significance of informal finance in the lives of slum dwellers and outlined some of the legislations related to moneylending activities issued by various states in India. This blog discusses why informal lending market is sticky and not easy to substitute with formal lending; and… Continue reading Why formal loans may never substitute informal loans
I buy my weekly stock of vegetables from Tulsiram. His handcart is almost filled with 40 varieties of vegetables in winter; a riot of solid, comforting colors in green, white, red, yellow, purple and orange. While I regretted my purchases from elsewhere, I often wondered where he came from and how he always managed to… Continue reading People of Bharat: Tulsiram, Ahmedabad
Photo by Santhosh Varghese on Shutterstock Imagine if a person came on her/his feet or on her/his two-wheeler and offered you credit in way that seems inexpensive and customized. The lender is also able to sympathize and act as a life coach to your financial problems. Now imagine this to be a lived reality for a substantial… Continue reading How do slum dwellers borrow?
As highlighted in our previous blog, researchers often face numerous issues relating to politics, local culture, corruption, natural calamities etc. during field research. While many of these issues can be resolved by instating protocols and processes; at times, however, these can result in changes to the research design, methodology, or the sample. We briefly discuss… Continue reading Part 2: Field Research- Turning challenges into opportunities
Photo by Alena Dafna on Shutterstock Abdul is a high school teacher in a school in Delhi. He has a stable income source, a job that is unlikely to disappear and most likely the first stable income earner in his family. Abdul’s household is a representative Indian household: financial dependents that are old (parents) and young (children),… Continue reading Why do suboptimal financial products work?
I stand outside the door of her flat and ring the bell. Then I step back and see pictures of both Christ and Ganesha on the door. This is Neeta’s house, a woman who sells sprouts in a local vegetable market in the southern part of the town of Surat in Gujarat. Neeta welcomes… Continue reading People of Bharat: Neeta, Surat
Photo by Thunderstock on Shutterstock. When we started with the idea of Project Kish, we were enthralled by the blank canvas we had and the work that we could do in this regard. But as we went along, we quickly realized that an idea so radical needed a radical solutioning approach. Where a captive designer would give… Continue reading The difficulty of being earnest
His name is Satrudhan but people call him Satish. So I call him Satish too. As I sit down to ask him questions, a group of two or three men gather around us, curious about what’s happening. I explain to them that it is a confidential interview about one’s incomes and savings. “Is that so?”… Continue reading People of Bharat: Satrudhan, Ahmedabad
Photo by RawPixel on Shutterstock “ It is better to be unique than the best. Because, being the best makes you the number one, but being unique makes you the only one.” Justice A.K Sikri announced his judgement on the writ petition of 2012 on Aadhaar’s validity on 26th September, 2018. On that day, Suresh… Continue reading It is better to be unique than the best
Digital Verified Resumes could let domestic help share past records, contact numbers, police verifications, and testimonials with prospective employers. Estimates from the Ministry of Labour and Employment suggest India is home to 400 million individuals working in unorganised sectors; this is more than 90 percent of our total active workforce. ILO estimates that… Continue reading Digital verified resumes for domestic workers
Hirabhai sits across from me at a wooden table in the canteen of the college where he works as a peon. His arms are crossed defensively across his chest as he answers my questions about his income and savings. “Why are you asking me these questions? Is something coming up?”, he asks anxiously. I… Continue reading People of Bharat: Hirabhai, Ahmedabad
Photo by Saranya Loisamutr on Shutterstock Research on motivations to spend or save has been of both theoretical and applied interests. Multiple disciplines have attempted to decode the mechanics of spending or saving by individuals and households using different lenses to the same question — how, why and when do individuals spend or save? Researchers… Continue reading What motivates the financial decisions of urban poor households?