This week's links include 3 new JEP papers of interest, our search for a Stata Bayesian expert, what happens when chat-GPT comes to the office, and more.
Salary Delays and Overdrafts in Rural Ghana
This study uses data from a rural bank to show that receiving a late salary payment increases the likelihood of taking an overdraft by 10%
From: Contents
Abstract
Checking overdrafts are an expensive yet common way for bank account holders to obtain short-term credit when faced with unexpected shocks. In developing countries, one common shock that many salaried workers face is late or erratic payment from their employer. We use administrative data from a rural bank in Ghana to show that receiving a late salary payment increases the likelihood of taking an overdraft by 10 percent. Past overdrafts are also associated with future overdrafts, suggesting that late payment exacerbates the risk of trapping workers in a costly debt cycle.