Are you included? determinants of financial inclusion in the Philippines A probit analysis
Date
2016-06
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Abstract
Financial inclusion has been gaining focus in policy-making over the past decade. Being a driver
of inclusive growth, it promotes a more equal income distribution and creates more opportunities
for the poor. The study estimates the marginal effects of different socio-economic variables on a
household’s decision to be included in the financial system. It employs a probit model, where the
dependent variable is proxied by whether or not the household uses financial services. A
financially included household is denoted by 1, and 0 otherwise. Extended models that took into
account the occupation of the household head were also constructed. The significant factors
found to increase the likelihood for a household to be financially included are the ratio of banks
and ATMs to the population, the household head's age, sex, marital status and years of schooling,
the household's income quintile and whether or not the household is located in an urban area has
internet connection and cellular phones. On the other hand, those that have a negative and
significant effect are cash receipts from abroad, domestic cash supports and the number of
household members. For the extended models, it was found that farmers, fishermen, trades and
crafts workers, laborers and unskilled workers have lower chances to be financially included,
while professionals have higher chances of inclusion. Lastly, the ratio of cooperatives to the
population was found to have a negative marginal effect.
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Keywords
financial inclusion, Philippines