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Reproducibility package for The Limits of Commitment: Who Benefits from Illiquid Savings Products?

2026
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Reference ID
PP_GHA_2026_741
Author(s)
Simone Schaner, Niklas Buehren, Leora Klapper, Tricia Koroknay-Palicz, Markus Goldstein
Metadata
JSON
Created on
Nov 09, 2026
Last modified
Nov 12, 2026
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  • Overview
  • Reproducibility Package
  • Description
  • Scope and coverage
  • Disclaimer
  • Access and rights
  • Contacts
  • Information on metadata

    • Overview

    Abstract

    We study the impacts of a commitment savings product for salaried workers in Ghana, many of whom regularly take high-interest debt via account overdrafts. The product successfully increased savings at the partner bank during and after the commitment period. However, survey data shows that treatment also increased the likelihood individuals took on new debt, leaving total savings less debt unchanged. These average effects mask notably different impacts by baseline overdraft status. Individuals with a significant overdraft history did not accrue new savings during the commitment period, drew down other savings, and took on new debt. In contrast, those without a significant overdraft history saved more during and after the commitment period. For this group, the product crowded in savings outside the partner bank, suggesting commitment helped individuals learn to save or build better saving habits.

    Reproducibility Package

    Scripts
    Get Reproducibility Package
    File name
    PP_GHA_2026_741
    Zip package
    PP_GHA_2026_741.zip
    Title
    Reproducibility package for The Limits of Commitment: Who Benefits from Illiquid Savings Products?
    Date
    2026-11
    Instructions
    See README in reproducibility package.
    Notes
    Computational reproducibility verified by Development Impact (DECDI) Analytics team, World Bank.
    Source code repository
    Repository name URI
    Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank) https://reproducibility.worldbank.org
    Software
    Name
    Stata
    Version
    19.5 MP

    Reproducibility

    Technology environment

    Paper exhibits were reproduced on a computer with the following specifications:
    • OS: Windows 11 Enterprise
    • Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 5218 CPU @ 2.30GHz (2.30 GHz) (2 processors)
    • Memory available: 16 GB
    Technology requirements

    Run time ~ 6 minutes
    Reproduction instructions

    To reproduce the findings in this paper, a replicator must:

    1. Open the _master do, update the directory on line 22 and run the script

    Since the data is Forthcoming to the Microdata Library, the package includes the outputs produced by the authors, which can be used to review the results presented in the paper.

    Data

    Datasets
    Name
    Survey data and Participant lists
    Note
    The dataset comprises two components: (1) Survey data and participant lists: six waves of de-identified raw CAI survey exports (baseline 2013 and 5 endlines through 2015) and participant list files (treatment assignment, gender, overdrafter stratification flag, SSP enrollment/contributions). Survey data were collected through six rounds of in-person interviews conducted by trained enumerators from Innovations for Poverty Action Ghana. Respondents' self-reported bank balances were supplemented with Salary Susu Plus balances taken from administrative records. The study protocol was approved by IRBs at the University of Ghana, Legon (CPN 009/13-14) and Dartmouth College (CPHS# 24177). Direct identifiers have been redacted; the identified originals are not publicly available. File locations: data/raw_deidentified/.
    Access policy
    Data is forthcoming in the World Bank Microdata Library
    License
    Custom License
    Citation
    Niklas, B et al. 2026. Survey, data and Participant Lists [dataset]. Forthcoming to the Microdata Library. Accessed October 2026.
    Name
    Monthly Lending and Savings Interest Rates
    Note
    Monthly lending and savings interest-rate series from the Bank of Ghana. Accessed December 8, 2025. File location: data/raw/Interest Rates_20251208-225227.xlsx.
    Access policy
    Data is publicly available and included in the reproducibility package.
    License
    Open data
    Data URL
    https://www.bog.gov.gh/economic-data/interest-rates
    Citation
    Bank of Ghana. 2025. Monthly Lending and Savings Interest Rates [dataset]. https://www.bog.gov.gh/economic-data/interest-rates. Accessed December 8, 2025.
    Name
    Administrative Bank Data
    Note
    Constructed datasets derived from proprietary transaction records of the partner bank (North Volta Rural Bank, NVRB). The administrative data were extracted directly from NVRB's transaction records for all accounts held by study participants. The underlying transaction-level records are not released to protect participant privacy; only constructed aggregates are included. Comprises: FINAL_EXTRACT II_2016_MONTHLY.dta (person-by-month panel of account aggregates), admin_survey_extract.dta (person-by-survey-date extract), and derived merge inputs. Construction scripts are included for transparency (code/confidential/) but cannot run without the restricted inputs. Contains no direct identifiers (study IDs only). The raw administrative data are restricted, but the intermediate constructed data will be made available through the World Bank Microdata Library. Once released, users will be able to reproduce the findings in this paper. File locations: data/constructed/base/
    Access policy
    Data is forthcoming in the World Bank Microdata Library
    License
    Custom License
    Citation
    North Volta Rural Bank, Ghana. 2026. Administrative Bank Data [dataset]. Proprietary transaction records extracted for study participants. Forthcoming to the Microdata Library. Accessed October 2026.
    Data statement

    The reproducibility package relies on 2 types of data: Open and Forthcoming data. For the source, access type, file location, and citation of each dataset, refer to the Datasets section and the README file.

    Description

    Output
    Type
    Journal Article
    Title
    The Limits of Commitment: Who Benefits from Illiquid Savings Products?
    Description
    Journal Articles
    Authors
    Author Affiliation Email
    Simone Schaner University of Southern California schaner@usc.edu
    Niklas Buehren World Bank nbuehren@worldbank.org
    Leora Klapper World Bank lklapper@worldbank.org
    Tricia Koroknay-Palicz World Bank tgonwa@worldbank.org
    Markus Goldstein Center for Global Development mgoldstein@cgdev.org
    Date of production

    2026-11-09

    Scope and coverage

    Geographic locations
    Location Code
    Ghana GHA

    Disclaimer

    Disclaimer

    The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.

    Access and rights

    License
    Name URI
    MIT License https://opensource.org/license/mit
    World Bank IGO Rider https://github.com/worldbank/metadata-editor/blob/main/WB-IGO-RIDER.md

    Contacts

    Contacts
    Name Affiliation Email
    Simone Schaner University of Southern California schaner@usc.edu
    Reproducibility World Bank Group World Bank reproducibility@worldbank.org

    Information on metadata

    Producers
    Name Abbreviation Affiliation Role
    Reproducibility WBG DECDI World Bank - Development Impact Department Verification and preparation of metadata
    Date of Production

    2026-11-09
    Document version

    1
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