In the light of first-hand data from a Beninese urban household survey in Cotonou, we investigate several motives aiming to explain participation in Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs). We provide empirical findings which lead us to think that the main reason why individuals join a...

This paper draws on an original dataset collected in Benin which features data at the individual level. We first provide evidence that suggest that husband and wife are not pooling their respective incomes and thus are not making expenditure decisions on the basis of one common budget. As we...

This paper studies indigenous insurance groups using evidence from urban areas in Benin. Many of these informal institutions co-exist within neighbourhood-distance. They are based on well-defined rules and regulations, offering premium-based insurance for funeral expenses, as well as other forms...