Aparajita Agarwal

Aparajita Agarwal
  • Doctoral Student

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    2048 SH-DH
    3620 Locust Walk
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

Links: CV

Research

  • Aparajita Agarwal and Valentina Assenova (Under Revision), Mobile Money as a Steppingstone: Addressing Voids in Credit-Market Institutions through Digital Platforms.

    Abstract: Digital platforms often emerge to meet the needs left unaddressed by missing or underdeveloped institutional infrastructure (i.e., “institutional voids”). We examine the case of “mobile money” and the role it has played in filling voids in credit-market institutions that limit access to credit for potential borrowers in emerging and developing economies. We argue that the proliferation of mobile money has increased access to credit from formal financial institutions among previously underserved and excluded borrowers in two ways: (i) through end-user certification, and (ii) strategic actions by incumbent organizations. We examine the evidence for these mechanisms in the context of the growth in mobile money penetration and usage in emerging economies with voids in credit-market institutions. We find support for both mechanisms contributing to the steppingstone effect of mobile money that increases users’ access to credit from formal financial institutions. Our findings suggest that digital platforms such as mobile money can become steppingstones that bridge institutional voids.

Teaching

All Courses

  • MGMT1010 - Intro To Management

    We all spend much of our lives in organizations. Most of us are born in organizations, educated in organizations, and work in organizations. Organizations emerge because individuals can't (or don't want to) accomplish their goals alone. Management is the art and science of helping individuals achieve their goals together. Managers in an organization determine where their organization is going and how it gets there. More formally, managers formulate strategies and implement those strategies. This course provides a framework for understanding the opportunities and challenges involved in formulating and implementing strategies by taking a "system" view of organizations,which means that we examine multiple aspects of how managers address their environments, strategy, structure, culture, tasks, people, and outputs, and how managerial decisions made in these various domains interrelate. The course will help you to understand and analyze how managers can formulate and implement strategies effectively. It will be particularly valuable if you are interested in management consulting, investment analysis, or entrepreneurship - but it will help you to better understand and be a more effective contributor to any organizations you join, whether they are large, established firms or startups. This course must be taken for a grade.

Awards and Honors

  • Goldberg Barclay Fellow in Entrepreneurship, 2021