Supply-side data and measurement for financial inclusion: A case study of Namibia

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Date
2014
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Abstract
Appropriate measurement, data and information are crucial pillars in facilitating the design of financial inclusion policies and interventions. The lack of reliable data is a barrier to financial inclusion and related evidence based policy making in developing nations. Whereas substantial work has been done on the gathering of demand-side financial inclusion information in Namibia through the FinScope consumer surveys of 2007 and 2011, comparatively less has been done on compiling the required supply side data. The purpose of this study is to develop the supply-side measurement and data required to support financial inclusion in Namibia and propose an appropriate framework of supply-side measurement and data in Namibia. A qualitative method is employed in this study with the case study strategy being to target the supply-side financial inclusion actors in Namibia including the commercial banks, specialized financial institutions, and registered non bank financial institutions as well as the regulatory authorities. The technique used for data collection is document analysis of annual reports, records and other publications of the identified institutions. A developed descriptive framework is used to organize the case study analysis with the content analysis being performed with the aid of the qualitative analysis software ATLAS.ti 7. The ideal financial inclusion measurement landscape, obtained using the International Finance Corporation analytical framework, is compared with the actual landscape to identify gaps in measures. The main study findings are that there is a lack of supply-side measures pertaining to usage, quality and impact perspectives of financial inclusion. It was also found that some financial inclusion policy objectives did not have corresponding indicators by which they could be consistently monitored and evaluated. The identified gaps are incorporated in a proposed framework. The study concludes that the current financial inclusion supply-side data and measurement in Namibia is inadequate to support evidence based policy making and monitoring and evaluation of financial inclusion programmes in Namibia and that an appropriate framework such as that proposed in this study would substantially improve the situation.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Accounting and Finance.
Keywords
Supply-side data, Financial inclusion
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