We examine how agents learn when information from original sources only reaches them after noisy relay. In the presence of random mutation of message content and transmission failures, there is a sharp threshold such that a receiver fully learns if and only if they have access to more chains...

We study how the introduction of microfinance changes the networks of interactions among 16476 households in 75 Indian villages, and develop a new dynamic model of network formation to explain the empirical findings. None of the villages were exposed to microfinance by 2006, and 43 villages were...

Inside Group Lending, Social Cohesion (and/or Social Capital) is a positive factor for repayment rates. But recent research on Social Cohesion and repayment has found empirical evidence that states this relation is not positive. The present article intends to provide a critical review of such...

Whether basic entrepreneurship can be inculcated amongst the poorest in society and serve as a route out of poverty remains an open question. We provide evidence on this issue by looking at the effects of a large-scale asset transfer and training programme which is targeted at the poorest women...

We analyze the design of a mechanism to extract a ranking of individuals according to a unidimensional characteristic, such as ability or need. Individuals, connected on a social network, only have local information about the ranking. We show that a planner can construct an ex post incentive...