Many programs in Papua New Guinea (PNG) aim to achieve positive social and economic outcomes through women's economic empowerment. Of note, the Bank of PNG and Asian Development Bank have invested significant resources to deliver empowerment through financial inclusion. However, there is limited evidence available to show whether, or to what extent, popular methods like financial literacy training, education, access to finance, or others, successfully achieve empowerment for women in PNG. 

 

To help fill this gap, this paper conducts a rigorous quantitative analysis to find the factors related to women’s involvement in household financial decisions. It uses data from the two largest surveys on this topic that have been conducted in the country, involving over 3600 respondents from across northern PNG. 

 

Rohan Fox is a Research Officer at the Development Policy Centre, with research interests in behavioural economics and development impacts of infrastructure projects in PNG.