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Discussion Paper Details

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Title: Keeping it Simple: Financial Literacy and Rules of Thumb

Author(s): Alejandro Drexler, Greg Fischer and Antoinette S Schoar

Publication Date: September 2010

Keyword(s): adult education, business training, entrepreneurship and financial literacy

Programme Area(s): Development Economics

Abstract: Individuals and business owners engage in an increasingly complex array of financial decisions that are critical for their success and well-being. Yet a growing literature documents that in both developed and developing countries, a large fraction of the population is unprepared to make these decisions. Evidence on potential remedies is limited and mixed. Two randomized trials test the impact of financial training on firm-level and individual outcomes for microentrepreneurs in the Dominican Republic. We find no significant effect from a standard, fundamentals-based accounting training. However, a simplified, rule-of-thumb training produced significant and economically meaningful improvements in business practices and outcomes.

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Bibliographic Reference

Drexler, A, Fischer, G and Schoar, A. 2010. 'Keeping it Simple: Financial Literacy and Rules of Thumb'. London, Centre for Economic Policy Research. https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=7994