Credit for what? Informal credit as a coping strategy of market women in northern Ghana

Kati Schindler
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Kati Kraehnert

No 24, Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Berlin 2006 from Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics

Abstract: This paper analyzes the use of informal credit as a coping strategy against risk by market women in the city of Tamale, Ghana. Using qualitative research techniques, the analysis reveals that intra-household structure and allocation decisions determine these market-based coping strategies. Market women invest a considerable amount of working hours in maintaining complex credit networks as a safeguard against extreme risks. As a policy implication, this research suggests to provide market women with access to formal, reliable and long-term microfinance institutions, both to improve their ability to cope with risks and to reduce the risks they face.

Keywords: micro-credit; informal markets; networks; coping strategies; intra-household allocation; women; Ghana (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 O12 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-agr, nep-dev, nep-fmk and nep-mfd
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Credit for What? Informal Credit as a Coping Strategy of Market Women in Northern Ghana (2010)
Working Paper: Credit for What?: Informal Credit as a Coping Strategy of Market Women in Northern Ghana (2007)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:gdec06:4761

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