{"id":{"repo_id":"usfca","oai_identifier":"oai:repository.usfca.edu:thes-1067"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/usfca/oai:repository.usfca.edu:thes-1067","repository":{"repo_id":"usfca","name":"University of San Francisco","base_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Cash-in-Hand, Wives-in-Power: An Exploratory Analysis of Microfinance in Jordan","abstract":"Microfinance is an economic policy complimentary to advancing female empowerment. Empowerment is particularly relevant in patriarchic Islamic contexts in the Middle East, however little research exists. Due to counterfactual creation and inconsistent empowerment measurement, the true impact is debated. This research proposes intra-spousal decision-making outcomes as the appropriate proxy to empowerment and uses a nuanced approach of counterfactual creation by utilizing responses from previous microfinance borrowers. Survey data from a Jordanian MFI is used to examine the endogeneity story and cash-in-hand effects on intra-spousal decision-making outcomes. An instrumental variable estimation technique finds a weak link between microfinance and empowerment.","abstract_html":"Microfinance is an economic policy complimentary to advancing female empowerment. Empowerment is particularly relevant in patriarchic Islamic contexts in the Middle East, however little research exists. Due to counterfactual creation and inconsistent empowerment measurement, the true impact is debated. This research proposes intra-spousal decision-making outcomes as the appropriate proxy to empowerment and uses a nuanced approach of counterfactual creation by utilizing responses from previous microfinance borrowers. Survey data from a Jordanian MFI is used to examine the endogeneity story and cash-in-hand effects on intra-spousal decision-making outcomes. An instrumental variable estimation technique finds a weak link between microfinance and empowerment.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pugh, Lauren"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Economics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Elizabeth Katz"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-05-17T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-05-17T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:42:43Z","subjects":["Empowerment","Intra-Spousal Decisions","Microfinance","Jordan","Middle East","Instrumental Variable","Two Stage Least Squares","Growth and Development"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/59","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Elizabeth Katz"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pugh, Lauren"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-05-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Economics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Empowerment","Intra-Spousal Decisions","Microfinance","Jordan","Middle East","Instrumental Variable","Two Stage Least Squares","Growth and Development"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/59"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Microfinance is an economic policy complimentary to advancing female empowerment. Empowerment is particularly relevant in patriarchic Islamic contexts in the Middle East, however little research exists. Due to counterfactual creation and inconsistent empowerment measurement, the true impact is debated. This research proposes intra-spousal decision-making outcomes as the appropriate proxy to empowerment and uses a nuanced approach of counterfactual creation by utilizing responses from previous microfinance borrowers. Survey data from a Jordanian MFI is used to examine the endogeneity story and cash-in-hand effects on intra-spousal decision-making outcomes. An instrumental variable estimation technique finds a weak link between microfinance and empowerment."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Cash-in-Hand, Wives-in-Power: An Exploratory Analysis of Microfinance in Jordan"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Elizabeth Katz"],"dc:creator":["Pugh, Lauren"],"dc:date.available":["2013-05-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Microfinance is an economic policy complimentary to advancing female empowerment. Empowerment is particularly relevant in patriarchic Islamic contexts in the Middle East, however little research exists. Due to counterfactual creation and inconsistent empowerment measurement, the true impact is debated. This research proposes intra-spousal decision-making outcomes as the appropriate proxy to empowerment and uses a nuanced approach of counterfactual creation by utilizing responses from previous microfinance borrowers. Survey data from a Jordanian MFI is used to examine the endogeneity story and cash-in-hand effects on intra-spousal decision-making outcomes. An instrumental variable estimation technique finds a weak link between microfinance and empowerment."],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/59"],"dc:subject":["Empowerment","Intra-Spousal Decisions","Microfinance","Jordan","Middle East","Instrumental Variable","Two Stage Least Squares","Growth and Development"],"dc:title":["Cash-in-Hand, Wives-in-Power: An Exploratory Analysis of Microfinance in Jordan"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Economics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:42:43Z"}