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Rethinking financial inclusion: from access to autonomy

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  • Srihari Hulikal Muralidhar
  • ,
  • Claus Bossen
  • Jacki O’Neill, Microsoft Research, India

Financial inclusion has been defined and understood primarily in terms of access, thereby constituting ‘inclusion’/‘exclusion’ as a binary. This paper argues such a view to be myopic that risks treating financial inclusion as an end in itself, and not as means to a larger end. ‘Access’ oriented perspectives also fail to take into account considerations of structural factors like power asymmetries and pay inadequate attention to user practices. Through the case of auto-rickshaw drivers in Bangalore, India, and their use of Ola, a peer-to-peer taxi hailing service similar to Uber, we show that access is a necessary, but not sufficient condition to achieve financial inclusion in a substantive sense. By examining in detail, the financial needs and practices of rickshaw drivers, we identify the opportunities and constraints for digital technology to better support their financial practices and enhance their wellbeing. The paper proposes adding ‘autonomy’ and ‘affordances’ as two crucial factors to be included in the discourse on financial inclusion. Finally, we outline design implications for P2P technologies to contribute towards the financial inclusion of drivers.

Original languageEnglish
JournalComputer Supported Cooperative Work: CSCW: An International Journal
Volume28
Issue3-4
Pages (from-to)511-547
Number of pages37
ISSN0925-9724
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2019

    Research areas

  • Financial Practices, Autonomy, Affordances, Access, Development, Platform Economy, Financial Inclusion, Ethnography

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