Abstract: This research is the first study to introduce an experimental setting to test the implication of a poverty alleviation model inspired by the Family Independence Initiative (FII) in a developing country. The FII is a poverty alleviation approach that has shown remarkable results in improving the living conditions of low-income individuals in three cities of the United States. It promotes self-improvement through setting goals, incentive schemes, and self-help groups (SHGs). The results suggest that the FII model can be successfully implemented as a poverty alleviation policy in a developing country. The model does have a positive and significant effect on debt reduction, savings, as well as business performance. The most effective components of the model are the goal and incentive treatments; meanwhile, SHGs present a negative effect on goal achievement, a poor effect on business outcomes, but a positive and significant effect on social ties.
","abstract_html":"<p>Abstract: This research is the first study to introduce an experimental setting to test the implication of a poverty alleviation model inspired by the Family Independence Initiative (FII) in a developing country. The FII is a poverty alleviation approach that has shown remarkable results in improving the living conditions of low-income individuals in three cities of the United States. It promotes self-improvement through setting goals, incentive schemes, and self-help groups (SHGs). The results suggest that the FII model can be successfully implemented as a poverty alleviation policy in a developing country. The model does have a positive and significant effect on debt reduction, savings, as well as business performance. The most effective components of the model are the goal and incentive treatments; meanwhile, SHGs present a negative effect on goal achievement, a poor effect on business outcomes, but a positive and significant effect on social ties.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Aguinaga Lezcano, Paulina"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Economics","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Alessandra Cassar"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-05-02T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-05-02T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:42:43Z","subjects":["Family Independence Initiative","goal","prize and self-help groups.","Behavioral Economics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/65","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Alessandra Cassar"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Aguinaga Lezcano, Paulina"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-06-06T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Economics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Family Independence Initiative","goal","prize and self-help groups.","Behavioral Economics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/65"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Abstract: This research is the first study to introduce an experimental setting to test the implication of a poverty alleviation model inspired by the Family Independence Initiative (FII) in a developing country. The FII is a poverty alleviation approach that has shown remarkable results in improving the living conditions of low-income individuals in three cities of the United States. It promotes self-improvement through setting goals, incentive schemes, and self-help groups (SHGs). The results suggest that the FII model can be successfully implemented as a poverty alleviation policy in a developing country. The model does have a positive and significant effect on debt reduction, savings, as well as business performance. The most effective components of the model are the goal and incentive treatments; meanwhile, SHGs present a negative effect on goal achievement, a poor effect on business outcomes, but a positive and significant effect on social ties.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Do Self-Help Groups Work on Achieving Economic Goals? New Evidence from a Field Experiment in Medellin, Colombia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Alessandra Cassar"],"dc:creator":["Aguinaga Lezcano, Paulina"],"dc:date.available":["2013-06-06T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Abstract: This research is the first study to introduce an experimental setting to test the implication of a poverty alleviation model inspired by the Family Independence Initiative (FII) in a developing country. The FII is a poverty alleviation approach that has shown remarkable results in improving the living conditions of low-income individuals in three cities of the United States. It promotes self-improvement through setting goals, incentive schemes, and self-help groups (SHGs). The results suggest that the FII model can be successfully implemented as a poverty alleviation policy in a developing country. The model does have a positive and significant effect on debt reduction, savings, as well as business performance. The most effective components of the model are the goal and incentive treatments; meanwhile, SHGs present a negative effect on goal achievement, a poor effect on business outcomes, but a positive and significant effect on social ties.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/65"],"dc:subject":["Family Independence Initiative","goal","prize and self-help groups.","Behavioral Economics"],"dc:title":["Do Self-Help Groups Work on Achieving Economic Goals? New Evidence from a Field Experiment in Medellin, Colombia"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Economics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:42:43Z"}