Precautionary savings and shock-coping behaviors: Effects of promoting mobile bank savings on transactional sex in Kenya

Kelly Jones and Erick Gong

Journal of Health Economics, 2021, vol. 78, issue C

Abstract: For the vulnerable, even small shocks can have significant short- and long-term impacts. Beneficial shock-coping mechanisms are not widely available in sub-Saharan Africa. We test whether an individual precautionary savings intervention can reduce a shock-coping behavior common in sub-Saharan Africa that has negative spillovers: transactional sex. Among a set of vulnerable women, we randomly assigned an intervention that promoted savings in a mobile banking account labeled for goals and emergency expenses. We find that a majority of individuals adopt the mobile account and the intervention led to reductions in transactional sex as a shock-coping response, and a decrease in symptoms of sexually transmitted infections. Changes are sustained in the medium-term among sex workers, but not among other vulnerable women.

Keywords: Savings; Risk-coping; Transactional sex; Sexual behavior; Sexually transmitted infections (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D14 I15 J16 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Working Paper: Precautionary Savings and Shock-Coping Behaviors: The Effects of Promoting Mobile Bank Savings on Transactional Sex in Kenya* (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:78:y:2021:i:c:s016762962100045x

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2021.102460

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