Financial Access of the Urban Poor in India - A Story of Exclusion

This book focuses on the issue of financial exclusion with particular reference to the urban informal sector in India. Continuing the work of its predecessor, the current Government of India is also placing considerable importance on driving policy initiatives for financial inclusion. However, financial exclusion in urban areas, especially of the lower strata of the society has not received the attention it deserves from researchers and policymakers, even though urban poverty and deprivations are of considerable importance in the present Indian context. The challenges of financial inclusion and accessibility in the urban areas differ substantially from those found in the rural regions given the fact that the possibility of physical access to financial services is much higher in urban areas. In order to provide a macro perspective, the book begins with an analysis of the unit record data on nature and extent of financial inclusion and access to credit in urban India, based on Debt and Investment survey data (59th and 70th rounds) provided by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). In subsequent steps, the book discusses findings from a primary survey carried out in the state of Karnataka of self-employed persons engaged in informal services sector. This exercise has helped to comprehend the ways in which they currently meet their financial needs for different income generating purposes, the terms and conditions under which they do so, and the challenges that remained for possible interventions. Experiences of other developing nations in their attempts to ensure financial inclusion and the lesson learnt thereby are the other highlights of the book.

List of contents

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Review of Literature (provides a brief review of literature which highlights the importance of financial inclusion (FI) for reduction of poverty and enhancement of growth & development, and essential infrastructure required for carrying out an effective FI programmes.).- Chapter 3. Credit access of Urban Households: A Study of NSSO Data (analyses NSSO debt and investment survey (59th round) data to understand the nature and extent of accessibility to credit by different sections of people, classified according to various income and social categories. - Chapter 4. Sampling Techniques (describes the survey methods and sample regions).- Chapter 5. Basic Sample Characteristics (presents basic characteristics of sample observations).- Chapter 6. Understanding financial exclusion for urban households (provides a detailed analysis of data on the level of financial inclusion and its determinants).- Chapter 7. Concluding remarks and policy implications. Inaddition the authors want to add two more chapters on 1. Financial Exclusion: Experiences from Developing nations across the globe 2. Cash transfer and international experience can be added.

About the author

Meenakshi Rajeev is the RBI Chair Professor at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, India. Having obtained her PhD from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, Professor Meenakshi has wide ranging publications in both national and international journals. Her recent book on "Emerging Issues in Economics Development" has been published by Oxford University Press. Her earlier book on "Estimating district income in India " was published by Macmillan. She has served as visiting faculty in a number of universities in Europe and the USA. Her areas of interest include issues related to banking and credit, and development economics (game theoretic modeling), industrial economics, and labour relations. 

B. P. Vani is an assistant professor at the Centre for Economic Studies and Policy (CESP), Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, India. She holds a Masters in Statistics from the Bangalore University. She has published papers injournals of internatrional repute and her research focuses on poverty and income distribution.

Summary

This book focuses on the issue of financial exclusion with particular reference to the urban informal sector in India. Continuing the work of its predecessor, the current Government of India is also placing considerable importance on driving policy initiatives for financial inclusion. However, financial exclusion in urban areas, especially of the lower strata of the society has not received the attention it deserves from researchers and policymakers, even though urban poverty and deprivations are of considerable importance in the present Indian context. The challenges of financial inclusion and accessibility in the urban areas differ substantially from those found in the rural regions given the fact that the possibility of physical access to financial services is much higher in urban areas. In order to provide a macro perspective, the book begins with an analysis of the unit record data on nature and extent of financial inclusion and access to credit in urban India, based on Debt and Investment survey data (59th and 70th rounds) provided by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). In subsequent steps, the book discusses findings from a primary survey carried out in the state of Karnataka of self-employed persons engaged in informal services sector. This exercise has helped to comprehend the ways in which they currently meet their financial needs for different income generating purposes, the terms and conditions under which they do so, and the challenges that remained for possible interventions. Experiences of other developing nations in their attempts to ensure financial inclusion and the lesson learnt thereby are the other highlights of the book.

Product details

• Authors: Meenaksh Rajeev, Meenakshi Rajeev, B P Vani, B. P. Vani
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2017
• EAN: 9788132237105
• ISBN: 978-81-322-3710-5
• No. of pages: 99
• Dimensions: 155 mm x 8 mm x 236 mm
• Weight: 188 g
• Illustrations: XI, 99 p. 8 illus.
• Series: SpringerBriefs in Economics; SpringerBriefs in Economics
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Economics; C, Finance, Social Policy, Social & ethical issues, Finance, general, Economics and Finance, economic growth, Political Economy, Management science, Development Economics, Development economics & emerging economies