Publication:
Making it Easier for Women in Malawi to Formalize Their Firms and Access Financial Services

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dc.contributor.authorCampos, Francisco
dc.contributor.authorGoldstein, Markus
dc.contributor.authorMcKenzie, David
dc.date.accessioned2016-11-28T20:21:40Z
dc.date.available2016-11-28T20:21:40Z
dc.date.issued2015-03
dc.description.abstractThe global rate of informal firms is high, especially for those that are women-owned and in the poorest countries, despite 149 economies implementing 368 reforms to simplify the registration process in a recent ten-year period. Through an experiment in Malawi, the author established an effective and replicable design to offer informal firms support to formalize, costing much less than the typical private sector development intervention. What works in the short-term is combining business registration with an information session at a bank including the offer of a business bank account. This led to women entrepreneurs increasing usage of bank accounts for business-only purposes, financial record keeping, and access to other financial services including insurance. Informal firms are smaller and less productive than formal ones, and their informal status is often associated with a number of costs, including less access to finance. Although 75 percent of the countries included in the Doing Business project have adopted at least one reform making it easier to register a business since 2004, informality remains very prevalent, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This may lead many to believe that entrepreneurs are not interested in registering their firms, and that if they could only be convinced to formalize it would lead to great benefits for their business.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/120701468263713677/Making-it-easier-for-women-in-Malawi-to-formalize-their-firms-and-access-financial-services
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/25454
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/25454
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesGender Innovation Lab Policy Brief;No. 10
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectACCOUNT
dc.subjectACCOUNTS
dc.subjectBUSINESS REGISTRATION
dc.subjectBUSINESSES
dc.subjectCERTIFICATE
dc.subjectCHAMBER OF COMMERCE
dc.subjectCOMPETITIVENESS
dc.subjectEMPOWERMENT
dc.subjectFEMALE
dc.subjectFINANCIAL SERVICES
dc.subjectGENDER
dc.subjectGENDER EQUALITY
dc.subjectGENDER INEQUALITY
dc.subjectHARASSMENT
dc.subjectINNOVATION
dc.subjectINSURANCE
dc.subjectPRIVATE SECTOR
dc.subjectPRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
dc.subjectPRODUCTIVITY
dc.subjectRESULT
dc.subjectRESULTS
dc.subjectSEX
dc.subjectTRANSACTION
dc.subjectWILL
dc.subjectWOMEN AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
dc.subjectAFRICA GENDER POLICY
dc.subjectGENDER INNOVATION LAB
dc.titleMaking it Easier for Women in Malawi to Formalize Their Firms and Access Financial Servicesen
dc.typeBriefen
dc.typeFichefr
dc.typeResumenes
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.date.disclosure2015-04-15
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-29T09:21:49.517925Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Brief
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/120701468263713677/Making-it-easier-for-women-in-Malawi-to-formalize-their-firms-and-access-financial-services
okr.guid120701468263713677
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum000333037_20150415135009
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum24364580
okr.identifier.report95656
okr.importedtrue
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/120701468263713677/pdf/956560BRI0P14300Malawi0to0Formalize.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeAfrica
okr.region.countryMalawi
okr.sectorFinance :: SME Finance
okr.themeSocial dev/gender/inclusion :: Gender
okr.themeFinancial and private sector development :: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise support
okr.topicFinance and Financial Sector Development::Access to Finance
okr.topicFinance and Financial Sector Development::Microfinance
okr.topicGender::Gender and Development
okr.topicGender::Gender and Law
okr.topicPrivate Sector Development::Legal Regulation and Business Environment
okr.topicPrivate Sector Development::Microenterprises
okr.unitGender Impact Evaluation (AFRGI)
relation.isAuthorOfPublication442e6ddc-d567-5db8-8fea-62f71781ad6a
relation.isAuthorOfPublication148d6d6d-76e5-5d6f-9af9-98313e30551f
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery442e6ddc-d567-5db8-8fea-62f71781ad6a
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