Local Ambassadors Promote Mobile Banking in Northern Peru

49 Pages Posted: 15 May 2020 Last revised: 13 Jul 2020

See all articles by Marcos Agurto

Marcos Agurto

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Habiba Djebbari

Aix-Marseille University

Brenda Silupú

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Carolina Triveli

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Javier Torres

Universidad del Pacífico (Lima, Perú)

Date Written: May 14, 2020

Abstract

We experiment with a novel way to boost information acquisition that exploits existing social ties between the promoter of a new financial technology and community members. We offer information and training workshops on a new mobile-money platform in peri-urban and rural areas in Peru. In the treatment group, workshops are led by promoters who are personally known to the invited participants. In the control group, comparable individuals are invited to attend similar workshops, but the workshops are led by agents external to the community. Our findings suggest that lack of information impedes product adoption, which is itself limited by lack of trust in the individual who provides the information.

Keywords: Financial inclusion, social networks, information transmission, trust

JEL Classification: D91, G23, I22, I31, O33

Suggested Citation

Agurto, Marcos and Djebbari, Habiba and Silupú, Brenda and Triveli, Carolina and Torres, Javier, Local Ambassadors Promote Mobile Banking in Northern Peru (May 14, 2020). Partnership for Economic Policy Working Paper No. 2020-04, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3600997 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3600997

Marcos Agurto (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Habiba Djebbari

Aix-Marseille University ( email )

3 Avenue Robert Schuman
3 Avenue Robert Schuman,
Aix-en-Provence, 13628
France

Brenda Silupú

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Carolina Triveli

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Javier Torres

Universidad del Pacífico (Lima, Perú) ( email )

Peru

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