Digitalization and Household Finance: Evidence from Turkish Households
摘要
Digital technology access theoretically enhances household finance through reduced information asymmetries and transaction costs. Digital accessibility transforms households into more active financial agents with improved capabilities for planning, product comparison, and portfolio management. This study examines the relationship between digitalization and household finance, exploring both theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence from Türkiye. We first establish a conceptual foundation for understanding how digital transformation creates new pathways for household financial inclusion and decision-making about saving behavior. The theoretical discussion highlights the mechanisms through which digital technologies reshape access to financial services, information asymmetries, and household financial behaviors. The empirical analysis leverages data from the Household Information Technology Usage Surveys in Türkiye to investigate how digitalization impacts household financial behaviors. Specifically, we examine patterns of digital financial service adoption, changes in saving and investment behaviors, and the evolution of household financial management practices in response to increased digital access. This study aims to reveal the effects of digital technology access and digital poverty while examining the factors that influence household finance. The impact of digital access on households’ access to financial resources and financial behaviors will be analyzed through a microeconometric approach. Preliminary findings suggest that digital technology adoption significantly influences household financial inclusion, with differential effects across demographic groups. We observe that increased digital literacy correlates with more diverse financial portfolios and greater participation in formal financial markets. Furthermore, our results indicate that digital platforms are increasingly serving as important channels for financial information acquisition and financial decision-making among Turkish households. This research contributes to the growing literature on fintech and household finance by providing country-specific evidence with implications for policy design.