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What we know and don't know about the socioeconomic impacts of mobile money in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review
Author(s) -
Nan Wenxiu Vince,
Zhu Xiaolin Christina,
Lynne Markus M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the electronic journal of information systems in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.41
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1681-4835
DOI - 10.1002/isd2.12155
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , mobile payment , developing country , business , financial inclusion , socioeconomic development , poverty , transformative learning , financial services , economic growth , marketing , public economics , economics , finance , sociology , population , pedagogy , demography , payment
Abstract Mobile money has been viewed as transformative in developing countries, because it provides basic financial services via mobile phones to people who lack easy access to formal financial services such as bank accounts. Given its accessibility, security, and affordability, mobile money has been increasingly touted as a promising digital solution for socioeconomic development in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Despite its potentially disruptive impacts, research on this innovation remains fragmentary. To take stock of what is known and to advance future research, a systematic review was conducted of 82 empirical academic studies on the socioeconomic impacts of mobile money in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Results show that mobile money, when widely used in Sub‐Saharan African countries, has enabled a wide range of socioeconomic benefits at multiple levels including household welfare, business benefits, community development, financial development, and country well‐being. In addition, the systematic review reveals multifaceted research biases and gaps in the literature and accordingly suggests promising directions for future research.