Doctoral thesis of Philosophy: Essays on financial inclusion, poverty and inequality

Poverty and inequality are among the most discussed topics in Economics. This thesis aims to investigate the empirical relationship between financial inclusion, poverty and gender inequality. Using unique cross-country panel and survey data sets, three hypotheses are tested: (1) microfinance is an effective tool for poverty reduction; (2) women’s participation in microfinance contributes to improvements in gender equality; and (3) financial inclusion has a positive effect on household income in China.