By directly depositing wages into women’s own bank accounts paired with information sessions teaching them how to use bank accounts, India’s public workfare program increased female labor force participation in Madhya Pradesh.

Entrepreneurship training for women was found to be much more effective in increasing business activity for those who participated with a friend.

Adding a two-month grace period in microfinance loan repayments, rather than the traditional immediate repayment model, may increase default rates, but it also leads to more micro-enterprise investment, a greater likelihood of starting a new business, and higher profits three-years later for poor women in Kolkata.