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http://dx.doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no5.119

Formal versus Informal Credit: Which is Better in Helping Rural Areas in Vietnam?  

TRUONG, Thi Hoai Linh (Department of Commercial Banking, School of Banking and Finance, The National Economics University)
LE, Thi Nhu Quynh (Department of Commercial Banking, School of Banking and Finance, The National Economics University)
PHAN, Hong Mai (Department of Corporate Finance, School of Banking and Finance, The National Economics University)
Publication Information
The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business / v.7, no.5, 2020 , pp. 119-130 More about this Journal
Abstract
The study seeks to evaluate the impacts of three types of credit - formal, semi-formal, and informal credits - on the well-being of households in Vietnam's rural areas. Based on data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Surveys in 2014 and 2016, the research uses the instrumental variable fixed-effect models to estimate the effects of three kinds of credit on household's per capita income and expenditure. There are some significant findings. First, in rural areas, formal credit is the most popular source with stable and cheap borrowing costs. Informal credit is a complement to formal credit to meet urgent needs. Funding agriculture activities is the most commonly cited purpose of borrowing, followed by purchasing assets. The highest misuse rate belongs to the group of loans for agriculture production. Second, the results show that credit helps smoothen consumption rather than generate income for rural households. Three types of credit have insignificant or negative effects on household's per capita income. Formal loans significantly improve total expenditure and spending on healthcare and education. Informal and semi-formal credits show a little influence on consumption. Informal loans have a significantly positive effect on healthcare expenditure. In contrast, having semi-formal loans tends to decrease spending on foods.
Keywords
Formal Credit; Informal Credit; Semi-Formal Credit; Income; Expenditure;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 4  (Citation Analysis)
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