The behavioural economics of savings groups as model commitment saving devices

Abstract

Although much research has been conducted on saving behaviour, inadequate savings rates continue to be reported for individuals and households across the world. Little is known about the drivers of positive saving behaviour to design saving-promotion interventions and effective commitment saving devices. On the other hand, research evidence suggests that savings groups are effective in mobilising savings from low income populations with limited resources. Thus, in this study, savings groups were explored to gain insights in their saving behaviour; attributes that influence behavioural change; and valued features as commitment saving devices. Through this multilevel study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten savings groups and ten individual members of savings groups, and their perspectives were analysed through a behavioural economic lens. The study found seven characteristics of savings groups that potentially serve as interventions to change its non-standard (irrational) saving behaviour, and seven valued features of this model commitment saving device. This study contributes towards literature by combining the fields of saving behaviour, savings groups, saving-promotion interventions and commitment saving devices in a single behavioural economic study. As a result, a framework is proposed to product developers for the design of commitment saving devices that are based on behavioural design levers.