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You can read all 48 of our publications directly on screen, or print or download them. They are presented by date of writing, with the most recent first.
Managing receipts and payments in arrears
Our Diarists take a lot of shop credit and many get wages paid in arrears. Since many of them are illiterate, how do they manage these transactions?
Written in May 2023.
Arrears blog.pptxReporting Back to Diarists
In this short piece we describe a recent attempt to provide meaningful feedback to our Diarists about the data they have given us.
Written in March 2023
Reporting back to Diarists.pdfCash in Hand
In this blog we look at the cash that our diarists hold at home, and at what they say about it.
Cash in Hand blog.pdfUnderstanding Low Incomes series: #5 The Recycler's Household
This is our fifth of the Low Incomes series, describing the household of a diarist who buys and sells garbage for a living.
Incomes 5 recycler.pdfUnderstanding Low Incomes series: #4 The Imam's Household
This is our fourth of the Low Incomes series, describing the household of an Imam of a local mosque
Low Incomes 4 Imam.pdfUnderstanding Low Incomes series: #3 The Brickbreaker's Household
This is the third in the series. It describes a household that depends on breaking bricks and on gifts.
Low Incomes 3 brickbreaker.pdfUnderstanding Low Incomes series: #2 The Shopkeeper's Household
We present the second in our 'Understanding Low Incomes' series by looking at a household that runs a small general store, and raises cows.
Low Incomes 2 shopkeeper.pdfA new series on Understanding Low Incomes: #1 The rickshaw Driver's Household
We are using the diary data to examine the income patterns of individual diarists in considerable detail. This is the first, about a rickshaw driver who also plays drum in a village band.
Low Incomes.pdfA Neighbourhood Banker
This short article is not about the Hrishipara Diarists for a change. It is a profile of a Bangladeshi 'neighbourhood banker' describing an informal actor in the world of finance for low-income and remote communities. It was researched by S K Sinha who played a leading role in the development of Financial Diaries.
A neighbourhood banker.pdfWhere does the money go?
This series of 13 slides provides some insights into how our diarists - as a whole, as individuals, and as income-quartiles - spend their money.
Written in September 2021 and covering the period from the start of data collection up to end August 2021.
Where does the money go.pdfThe Fit Factor: Matching Loans and Savings to Cash Flows
By courtesy of Gojo and Co, the Tokyo-based microfinance investor, we are very happy to post a blog written by their Research and Development team. The data come from the Hrishipara Diaries.
see it here on Gojo's own site
FitFactor_web.pdfHow Bangladesh Democratized Savings
This is a blog in the CGAP series that celebrates Bangladesh's 50th birthday. The blog describes how the 'DPS' - a form of commitment savings - was developed and popularised in the country. It uses data from the Hrishipara Diaries and from previous diary studies.
See it here on the CGAP site
DPS blog CGAP July 2021.pdfFeeling at Home - Diarists and their Housing
This article looks at the place of homestead land and housing in the lives of the Hrishipara diarists
Written and posted July 2021
Housing blog July 2021.pdfSurviving two COVID lockdowns
This slideshow presents numbers and opinions explaining how the two lockdowns were very differently experienced
surviving two lockdowns.pptxThe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the poor: Insights from the Hrishipara diaries
It is published as WIDER Working Paper 2021/46. Helsinki: UNU-WIDER. It was written by Prof Kunal Sen, Risto Ronkko and Stuart Rutherford.
See it here on the UNU-WIDER site
Revised version published in early September 2021 as an article in World Development journal
See it here on the World Development site
UNU WIDER paper final as published by UNU WIDER.pdfThe transactions our diarists didn't make
In March 2021 we asked our 60 diarists if there had been expenditure that they had wanted to make during the month but hadn't been able to. Here is what they said.
You can read it on the Manchester Global Development Institute site here
The transactions our diarists didn't make.pdfEducation under the pandemic
This blog looks at how our diarists are reacting to the prolonged closure of local schools under the pandemic
You can read it on the Manchester University GDI site here
Schooling survey V2.pdfRetelling the story of savings in Bangladesh
'Bangladesh's Microsavings Revolution: the country has done well in savings as well as credit' has been published by the European Microfinance Platform in connection with their 2020 award season.
The study draws on research in Bangladesh including, in particular, from the first Financial Diary study (1999-2000), the 'Grameen II Diaries' (2002-2005) and the current Hrishipara Daily Diaries.
You can read it on the EMP site here.
Bangladesh's savings revolution.pdf'Corona and the Hrishipara Diarists: July 2020: A big rebound - but only for some' is the fifth of our special corona blogs, describing what happened to our diarists in July 2020.
Read it on the Manchester University Global Development Institute website
fifth Hrishpara corona blog.pdf'Corona and the Hrishipara Diarists: June 2020: Still waiting? ' is the fourth of our special corona blogs, describing what happened to our diarists in June 2020.
It will soon be available on the Manchester University Global Development Institute website
fourth corona blog.pdf'Corona and the Hrishipara Diarists: May 2020: climbing for a fall? ' is the third of our special corona blogs, describing what happened to our diarists in May 2020.
See it on the Manchester University Global Development Institute website here
third corona blog.pdf'Corona and the Hrishipara Diarists: was April the cruellest month? ' is the second of our special corona blogs. It describes what happened to our diarists in April 2020.
See it on the Manchester University Global Development Institute website here
second corona blog.pdf'Corona and the Hrishipara Diarists' is the first of our special Corona blogs. It tells the story up to the end of March 2020.
See it on the Manchester University Global Development Institute website here
March 2020 Hrishipara corona blog.pdf'Not Just Debtors'. Our diarists give as well as take loans and in this blog we look at how much they do so, how, and why.
See it on the Manchester University Global Development Institute website here
Lending as well as borrowing.docx'Education and Occupations' looks at the relationship between school grades reached by the various generations of a household, and the occupations followed by the household.
See it on the Manchester University Global Development Institute website
Education and Occupations.pdf'Managing Money in a Growing Digital Economy' gives us a chance to ask the question, "how far are our diarists active participants in the global digital economy?"
This was the last piece written with UNCDF SHIFT. You can read it on their wensite here.
Managing Money in a Growing Digital Economy.pdfThe 'Tracking Transactions, Understanding Lives' series started in November 2018, and focuses on individual diarists, to provide a close-up sense of what it is like to live lives like theirs.
This third one is about a brick-breaker/faith-healer with a very volatile income stream. How does he manage it?
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
Tracking Transactions, Understanding Lives, How to Manage Volatile Income.pdfSomething to Fall Back On looks at the reserves held by our diarists
It was written in January 2019 and uses our transaction data and also our annual surveys on the balances that our diarists hold at banks, MFIs and insurance companies
Something to fall back on.pdfThis is the second of the 'Tracking Transactions, Understanding Lives' series.
This one is about a sari seller. At first it looks like a typical 'microcredit success' story. But a closer look reveals a more subtle reality.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
Razaana Jan 2019.docx'Mobile Money Behaviour in Bangladesh: Taking the National and Local Perspectives'
Written jointly with UNCDF, this blog compares the nationwide statistics about mobile-money usage with the experience of our diarists.
Read it on the UNCDF site here
Mobile money in Bangladesh- PDF.pdf'Tracking Transactions, Understanding Lives' is a new series started in November 2018. The series focuses on individual diarists, to provide a close-up sense of what it is like to live lives like theirs.
This first one is about one of our poorest diarists, a widow who scrapes a living from odd jobs for market stall-holders.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
Tracking Transactions, Understanding Lives.pdf'Occupational Hazards: why do poor people settle for low-return jobs?'
Written in November 2018. Economists have been puzzled why it is that poor people don't seem as interested as they might be in using grants and loans to start small businesses. This blog looks at the reasons from our diarists' points of view.
Why do poor people settle for low-reward jobs.pdf'Receiving Gifts in low-income households'
Written in September 2018, this blog looks at those diarists who receive money gifts as part of their income, and at the impact it makes
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
Gifts in Low-Income Households.pdf'Getting to the Gulf'
This blog from mid-2018 tells the story of a young diarist from a poor background, showing the difficulties he had finding work, how he decided to try for a job overseas, and how he eventually made it to Saudi Arabia.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
Getting to the Gulf.pdf'Incomes and Pay Rates'
This is a slide presentation with audio, put together in mid 2018 and showing how incomes have risen and pay-rates have changed over the period of the diaries. It points out some of the winners and losers in the process, and shows how the losers try to compensate for their loss.
Note: you may need to download this file to hear the audio
Incomes and pay rates.pptx'Bangladesh and education: doing well, could do better'
Written for MicroSave's 'Low Income Lives' series this blog was written in March 2018 and sums up what we have learnt about our diarists investments in education. It is mostly good news.
What do the poor spend on education.pdf'Family Food Shopping'
This was written in February 2018 as the curtain raiser to MicroSave's 'Low Income Lives' blog series. As the title suggests, it looks at the patterns in domestic spending by our diarists.
Family Food Shopping.pdf'Do low-income households invest?'
This blog was written in early 2018. MFIs (microfinance providers) always hoped that their loans would be invested by poor people in small businesses. Here we look at the reality as reflected in the investment decisions of our diarists.
Do low income households invest.pdf'Follow that loan! What do people do with the loans they borrow from MFIs?
This slightly complex piece was written in late 2017 to show in some detail what our diarists have done with their MFI loans.
Follow that loan...!.pdf'Poverty measurement using data from the Hrishipara daily Financial Diaries'
This somewhat technical piece reviews various ways of measuring poverty, showing in a very practical way what the daily diary data can contribute to the debate. It was written in November 2017.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
Measuring poverty using daily diary data.pdf'When poor households spend big' (part 2)
The second part, this one from October 2017 about how our diarists manage unusually large expenditures
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
When Poor Households Spend Big, part 2.pdf'When poor households spend big' (part 1)
The first of a two-part blog, written in August 2017, about what happens when our diarists, though poor, need to find large sums for some reason or other
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
When Poor Households Spend Big, part 1.pdf'What do the Hrishipara Daily Diaries tell us about DFS use in central Bangladesh'
This brief slide show from mid 2017 summarizes the degree to which our diarists use digital financial services (specifically through mobile phones) and what the uses are.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
Note: this item has been superseded by a more recent UNCDF blog - see the entries for 2018, above
DFS and the Hrishipara Diaries.pptx'What the poor spend on health care'
Written using diary data up to February 2017, this blog examines our diarists' records to see what kind of health expenditures they make and how they raise the necessary funds.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
What the poor spend on health.pdf'When Savings Aren’t Enough: How Low-Income Bangladeshis Use their Loans'
This is one of two looks we have had at our diarists's loan use - this being the simpler one. It was written in December 2016.
See it on the CGAP website here
When Savings Aren’t Enough - and you need to take a loan.pdf'Tracking the savings of poor households'
This piece looks at the savings of of diarists, with a particular focus on the deposits they make in MFIs. It has some surprises. It was written in late 2016.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
The poor and their savings.pdf'How the poor borrow'
This blog was written in late 2016 to give a first account of the borrowing habits of our diarists.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
How the poor borrow.pdf'What do poor households spend their money on?'
Written in late 2016 this is one of our early 'overview' blogs, in which we look at and discuss the spending habits of our diarists.
Read it on the Global Development Institute website
What do poor households spend their money on.pdf'Report to CGAP'
This is a mid-length Report of 32 pages, written in mid-2016, summing up what we learnt from daily diary research during the period when we were funded by CGAP (mid 2015 to mid 2016).
Its description of the diary methodology and environment is still relevant today.
Interim Report for CGAP mid 2016.pdf'Daily Diaries Reveal Bangladesh's Shifting Financial Landscape'
This short blog was written with Wameek Noor of CGAP in mid 2016 just after we completed the phase of work that was funded by CGAP
Daily Diaries Reveal Bangladesh's Shifting Financial Landscape.pdf'Report to CGAP: Farmers'
This short report was written in mid 2016 to support CGAP's contemporary work looking at small-holder financing
Interim Report on Farmers for CGAP mid 2016.pdf'Financial Diaries: Fulfilling their Potential'
This is not an output of the diaries project. It is a discussion piece written with Guy Stuart of Microfinance Opportunities (MFO) for UNCDF. UNCDF supported a diaries project in Myanmar, and later funded the Hrishipara project between mid 2017 and mid 2018.
Financial Diaries Vision for UNCDF August 2013.pdf