Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
延迟支付账单的小额信贷
Microcredit From Delaying Bill Payments
摘要
Delaying bill payments to public utilities may provide an important strategy for households with volatile incomes to smooth their consumption. At the same time, allowing late payments may reduce net revenues for utilities, which often leads to higher prices to cover costs. Using billing records from a large water utility in Manila, this paper estimates a household consumption and savings model to evaluate counterfactual payment policies. A popular proposal to ensure upfront payments—prepaid metering—recoups less revenue than is needed to compensate households for their loss of consumption smoothing. Alternatively, a revenue-neutral policy allowing more late payments increases welfare by encouraging greater consumption smoothing.
中文摘要
延迟支付公共事业账单可能为收入波动较大的家庭提供一种重要的消费平滑策略。同时，允许延迟支付可能会减少公用事业公司的净收入，这往往导致价格上涨以覆盖成本。利用马尼拉一家大型水务公司的账单记录，本文估计了一个家庭消费与储蓄模型，以评估反事实支付政策。一项确保预付款的流行提议——预付费计量——所回收的收入不足以补偿家庭因失去消费平滑而遭受的损失。相反，一项允许更多延迟支付的收入中性政策通过鼓励更大的消费平滑来增加福利。