Microlending in India: An Equal Access Possibility

Abstract

People with disabilities are disproportionately represented among the poorest of the poor in developing countries. An increasingly common method of combating poverty in developing countries, microlending, has been largely unavailable to those with disabilities. This paper reports on one of the first programs in India to provide the disabled access to microlending. I evaluate the impact of this program by comparing people with disabilities to their non-disabled siblings in treatment and control villages. The estimates suggest that the program led to increased borrowing and educational attainment while having no impact on labor market participation among the disabled.