Despite the almost universal acclaim for the "microfinance revolution," evidence shows that while there is no doubt that microfinance has a positive impact, it falls short of the longed-for tranformative impact on the lives of the poor.  Why is this so? Can financial innovations, such as repayment flexibility in loan contracts, spur business growth and help break the poverty cycle?  Using economic theory and experimental evidence, Giorgia Barboni, JRCPPF Post-Doctoral Research Associate sheds new light on these important policy questions.  

Georgia Barboni's primary research intests are in the fields of Development Economics, Experimental Economics, and Financial Intermediation.  Her current research in Development Economics investigates, by means of Randomized Controlled Trials, how innovations in financial contracts can relax financial constrains and thereby generate business growth; and what interventions can help mitigate the negative effects of pollution and climate change on the poor.  Barboni's current reserach in Financial Intermediation examines the effects of the 2008-2009 financial crisis on domestic credit markets in developed countries.  Barboni holds a PhD in Economics from Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies (Pisa, Italy) and prior to coming to Princeton she was a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Lunch will be available starting at 12:10.  Restricted to Princeton University student, faculty and staff, and special guests of JRCPPF. 

To RSVP send an email to jrcenter@princeton.edu