Do Institutional Transplants Succeed? Regulating Raiffeisen Cooperatives in South India, 1930–1960

The government in British-ruled India established cooperative banks to compete with private moneylenders in the rural credit market. State officials expected greater competition to increase the supply of low-cost credit, thereby expanding investment potential for the rural poor. Cooperatives did increase credit supply but captured a small share of the credit market and reported net losses throughout the late colonial and early postcolonial period. The article asks why this experiment did not succeed and offers two explanations. First, low savings restricted the role of social capital and mutual supervision as methods of financial regulation in the cooperative sector. Second, a political-economic ideology that privileged equity over efficiency made for weak administrative regulation.

Formal Credit Constraint and Prevalence of Reciprocal Loans in Rural China

The unique feature of the rural credit market in China is the dominance of zero collateral and zero-interest reciprocal lending and its long-term coexistence with the formal loan. This paper investigates the association between formal credit constraint and prevalence of reciprocal loans in rural China. Based on the identification of rural households’ credit constraint status, we examine the effects of credit constraint on the utilization of informal reciprocal loans. We find that formal credit constraint significantly increases rural borrowers’ reliance on reciprocal loans, whereas the “debt of gratitude” imposes an uncertain obligation on rural borrowers, and discourages them from borrowing amongst relatives and friends.

Financial inclusion, land title and credit: evidence from China

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study land title’s credit effect from a financial inclusion perspective in China. The focus is both small land holding and poor farmers. Formal and informal finances are considered to test their differences in land title’s credit effect. Design/methodology/approach The authors use augmented inverse-probability weights of the doubly robust method to test the effect of land titling on the rural credit market by addressing self-selection, endogeneity and heterogeneity concerns. Findings Results show that the poor, non-poor and small land holders with land titles are willing to borrow more from formal financial institutions. Land titling increases loan accessibility for non-poor and small land holding farmers. As for informal financing, large land holding and non-poor farmers show a decrease in informal lending. Land titling has a financial inclusion effect for some farmers, but poor farmers’ credit restrictions are not entirely solved by land titling. Originality/value This is the first study that focuses on the financial inclusion effect of farm land titling in China.

Challenges and changes in Indian rural credit market: a review

Purpose Post-independence, the rural credit market in India has undergone significant structural changes in order to enhance the availability and efficient use of credit. The purpose of this paper is to understand the challenges and changes in the Indian rural credit market in the post-independence period. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the All India Debt and Investment Survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation of the Government of India from 1971–1972 to 2012 and Reserve Bank of India in 1951–1952 and 1961–1962, the study focuses on three important aspect of rural credit market, i.e. the availability, sources and uses of credit. The analysis is based on both the national and state level data and uses the decadal growth rates to explain the changes in the rural credit market. Findings Availability of credit, in terms of volume and number of households indebted, has increased substantially. However, the sharp rise in outstanding debt is a matter of concern. The share of credit from institutional agencies has seen a continuous decline post liberalisation. The non-institutional agencies, particularly the professional moneylenders, continue to be the most preferred sources of credit owing to their flexible nature of operation. Interesting, microfinance has emerged as a major source of credit particularly for the poor rural households. The rise in credit usage for non-income generating activities amongst poor households is another important concern. Originality/value The study highlights some of the most important features and characteristics associated with the Indian rural credit market. An understanding of these issues would provide valuable insight for shaping the future policy responses.

Information asymmetries and agricultural credit

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the functioning of the rural credit market of Lima from 1825 to 1865, paying special attention to the effect of information asymmetries on the access to rural credit. Design/methodology/approach The article relies on primary sources for the study of the early credit market of Lima. In particular, the study relies on a sample of notarized loans for 1825–1865 and on property tax reports, collected from the National Archives of Peru, to determine the effect of information asymmetries, collateral and regional lending on access to credit. The article also analyzes the legal system of Peru during this period to determine whether property rights were well protected and so collateral could be used in the rural credit market. Findings A revision of the legislation shows that the legal system had some deficiencies, but allowed landlords and tenants to use their assets as collateral. Tax reports show that landlords and tenants owned valuable capital that could be used as collateral. Evidence from notarized loans shows that information asymmetries severely restricted inter-regional lending. In Lima, however, notaries played a role as financial intermediaries, providing the information about potential borrowers and allowing landlords and tenants to access credit. As a result, access to credit was significant for landlords and tenants. Originality/value This paper is one of the few historical studies on the role of information asymmetries in the allocation of rural credit in Latin America. It contributes to our understanding of credit markets prior to the creation of banks.

Trust, Norms of Cooperation, and the Rural Credit Market in Eighteenth-Century France

An examination of the loans recorded by the notary in the seigneurie of Delle during the eighteenth century sheds light on alterations to the mechanisms of trust. In early modern France, the traditional local credit market was based on strong norms of cooperation and reciprocity, in which trust was taken for granted. Changes in the nature of investors and investments during the eighteenth century, however, disturbed this fragile social equilibrium, causing trust to migrate in several new directions.