Leora Klapper

Leora Klapper is a Lead Economist in the Finance and Private Sector Research Team of the Development Research Group at the World Bank. Since joining the Bank as a Young Economist in 1998, she has published on entrepreneurship, access to finance, corporate governance, bankruptcy, and risk management. Her current research focuses on entrepreneurship and household finance, and measurements of financial inclusion. Prior to coming to the Bank she worked at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Bank of Israel, and Salomon Smith Barney. She holds a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from New York University Stern School of Business.

Improving Access to Finance for Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries
One of the most important issues in developing countries is how to finance small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Although microcredit and new forms of financial inclusion are increasingly prominent in the literature, much empirical evidence shows that banks are still the main financial actors. This study focusses on loan officers’ risk propensity and finds among other conclusions, that performance incentives affect lending decisions.
