Goedecke J. auteur aut IRD Guérin Isabelle auteur aut IRD D'Espallier B. auteur aut IRD Venkatasubramanian G. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Combining multivariate and qualitative analyses, this micro-level study suggests an explanation for the persistence of informal savings in rural south India despite publicly run large-scale programmes to promote bank savings. Gold, in particular, but also Rotating Saving and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) and private lending, remain the dominant forms of savings. We argue that cultural norms and social institutions, such as social class and caste, shape the nature of savings, and also the propensity and opportunities to save. Gold serves multiple purposes, financial, economic, socio-cultural and political. Furthermore, we find that the preference of Dalits (the lowest caste) for gold illustrates a relative emancipation, which contrasts with the persistence of caste-related prohibitions preventing them investing in other assets, such as land. specialized banks economic anthropology financial inclusion India informal saving microfinance political economy INDE 098 095 106 36 1 O201-O219 2018 0950-6764 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010072058 10.1111/dpr.12272 0950-6764 [F B010072058] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010072058 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2018/02/010072058.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2018-03-05 2026-01-15 fdi:010072058 fre