Household savings in rural Pakistan: empirical and conceptual issues. (Ph.D. Thesis)

The characteristics of household savings in rural Pakistan are discussed, with particular emphasis on the means, and the factors that affect household saving in general. Various methods of saving, both independent and cooperative, are practiced, with saving in kind generally being the most popular mode. Various economic and institutional factors affect these savings; lack of access to information on the markets increases the importance of such household savings. Currently, the greatest challenge to policy makers lies in increasing and improving the productivity and utilization of these savings.