Abstract
Digital financial inclusion (DFI) aims to offer better opportunities for poor women who often face unequal access to financial services. Platformed crowdfunding, for example, has been adopted to connect resourceful urban lenders to rural area borrowers. However, it has not yet been known to what extent the impacts of such initiatives have on the improvement of women’s livelihood. The theorisation of ICT for Development (ICT4D) research has focused largely on the access and usage side, and there is limited understanding of the effect of DFI on overcoming gendered inequality. This research explores a case of platformised microfinance in Indonesia and the importance of building women’s financial resilience. Drawing on Sen’s capability approach (CA) as a theoretical lens, the qualitative study examines the reasons behind the expansion and deprivation of women’s capabilities in DFI. Findings reveal the importance of building financial resilience to ensure the sustainability of financial inclusion and the expansion of women’s agential capacity. The paper contributes to the DFI literature by highlighting financial resilience as an important capability for grassroots women entrepreneurs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderloni, L., et al.: Households over-indebtedness in the economic literature. Universit’a degli Studi di Milano Working Paper, vol. 46, p. 775 (2008)
Arocena, R.: Power, innovation systems and development. Innov. Dev. 8(2), 271–285 (2018)
Aziz, A., Naima, U.: Rethinking digital financial inclusion: evidence from Bangladesh. Technol. Soc. 64, 101509 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TECHSOC.2020.101509
Bonina, C. et al.: Digital platforms for development: foundations and research agenda. Inf. Syst. J. (2021)
Chen, X., et al.: Gender gap in peer-to-peer lending: evidence from China. J. Bank. Financ. 112, 105633 (2020)
Creswell, J.W.: Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. Sage, California (2013)
Daud, S.N.M., Ahmad, A.H.: Financial inclusion, economic growth and the role of digital technology. Financ. Res. Lett. 53, 103602 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FRL.2022.103602
Demirgüç-Kunt, A. et al.: The global findex database 2014: measuring financial inclusion around the world. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7255 (2015)
Gammage, S., et al.: Gender and digital financial inclusion: what do we know and what do we need to know. International Center for Research on Women (2017)
GSMA: Women and Mobile Money: Insights from Kenya (Rep.), London (2015)
Hatakka, M.: The capability approach in ICT4D research. Örebro universitet (2013)
Jenik, I., et al.: Crowdfunding and financial inclusion. CGAP (Consultative Gr. to Assist Poor) Working Paper (2017)
Jimenez, A.: The role of innovation hubs in development: insights from case studies in the UK and Zambia. Royal Holloway, University of London (2017)
Koch, K., et al.: Giving credit where it is due; how closing the credit gap for women-owned SMEs can drive global growth (Rep.), New York (2014)
Lee, C.C., et al.: Digital financial inclusion and poverty alleviation: evidence from the sustainable development of China. Econ. Anal. Policy. 77, 418–434 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EAP.2022.12.004
McGrath, K., Maiye, A.: The role of institutions in ICT innovation: learning from interventions in a Nigerian e-government initiative. Inf. Technol. Dev. 16(4), 260–278 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2010.498408
Oosterlaken, E.T.: Product innovation for human development: a capability approach towards designing for the bottom of the pyramid (2008)
Salignac, F., et al.: Conceptualizing and measuring financial resilience: a multidimensional framework. Soc. Indic. Res. 145, 17–38 (2019)
Schicks, J., et al.: Microfinance Over-Indebtedness: understanding its drivers and challenging the common myths. Centre Emile Bernheim (CEB) Working Paper, vol. 10, p. 47 (2010)
Sen, A.: Development as Freedom. Alfred Knopf, New York (1999)
Sen, A.: Inequality Reexamined. Oxford University Press, Oxford (1992)
Swain, R.B., Wallentin, F.Y.: Does microfinance empower women? Evidence from self-help groups in India. Int. Rev. Appl. Econ. 23(5), 541–556 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1080/02692170903007540
Walsham, G.: The emergence of interpretivism in IS research. Inf. Syst. Res. 6(4), 376–394 (1995)
Zhang, C., et al.: Citation: how digital financial inclusion boosts tourism: evidence from Chinese cities (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer18030082
Zheng, Y.: Different spaces for e-development: what can we learn from the capability approach? Inf. Technol. Dev. 15(2), 66–82 (2009)
Zheng, Y., Walsham, G.: Inequality of what? Social exclusion in the e-society as capability deprivation. IT People. 21, 222–243 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1108/09593840810896000
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kumaralalita, L., Zheng, Y. (2023). Digital Financial Inclusion and Resilience – A Crowd-Funded Microloan Platform in Indonesia. In: Jones, M.R., Mukherjee, A.S., Thapa, D., Zheng, Y. (eds) After Latour: Globalisation, Inequity and Climate Change. IFIPJWC 2023. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 696. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-50153-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-50154-8
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)
