Exploring the contribution of mobile money to well‐being from a capability perspective

Abstract

This study considered the impact of mobile money on well-being and development from a capability perspective using data from the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana. The evidence suggests varied capability enhancing benefits of mobile money use, ranging from empowerment to participate in the financial system, to choice, and agency to meet various functionings that contribute to better well-being outcomes in employment, health, and education. Erratic power supply and a poor network signal in some communities are unfreedoms that need removing for people to take advantage of the huge well-being and human development potential of mobile money. The long-term dependency on family and social networks for monetary support is a capability diminishing feature of mobile money. The study findings support the necessity to adopt a multifaceted and pragmatic conceptualisation of development in information and communication technology for development research.

Factors influencing the adoption intention of using mobile financial service during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of FinTech

“…Consumers in underdeveloped nations can access a wider range of financial services through mobile applications, including payments, savings, loans, and microcredit, etc. (Adaba et al 2019 ; Bharadwaj et al 2019 ; Dávid 2017 ; Kingiri and Fu 2020 ). The MFS industry in Bangladesh is expanding at a rapid pace (Rahman 2021 ), and a new height will be achieved as soon as the compatibility between the operators and compliance is secured, the costs of services are reduced, and a level playing field is guaranteed.…”

“…A wide range of functions were performed by the financial service industry in modern economies to ease financial-economic activity (Al Nawayseh 2020 ). Financial inclusion was seen as a critical accelerator of socioeconomic resilience throughout the pandemic (Adaba et al 2019 ; Karusala et al 2019 ). Following the advancement in ICT, financial businesses have transformed over the decades, and this has facilitated a more efficient and inventive service delivery.…”

Mobile money as a financial inclusion instrument: what are the determinants?

“…Similarly, Adaba et al (2018) focused on the effect of mobile money on the health and wellbeing of residents in Ghana's Upper East region. The paper uses a qualitative study approach and gathers data through organized interviews with mobile money operators as well as consumers in three towns in the Upper East-Bolgatanga, Zebilla and Tongo.…”

Mobile Money, Output and Welfare Among Smallholder Farmers in Ghana

“…As indicated earlier, these studies failed to deal with the endogeneity problem associated with m-money adoption and its impact as well as comparing heterogeneous groups. Adaba et al (2019) explore the contribution of mobile money to well-being from a capability perspective in the Upper East Region, Ghana. The study was qualitative and failed to deal with problem of endogeneity of m-money.…”