P2P Lending and Natural Disasters: Is Prosocial Behavior Conditional?

Lavlin Agrawal, Raj Sharman, Cristian Tiu, Juha Joenväärä

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

In the aftermath of natural disasters, borrowers seeking credit from traditional sources, such as banks, may encounter higher interest rates than in pre-disaster periods. We examine the lending behavior of peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms in the wake of disasters. Since P2P platforms involve individual investors in making lending decisions, they accommodate both profit motives and empathetic responses. Empirical evidence from psychology suggests that empathy can lead to prosocial behavior. Consistent with this assertion, we find that loans affected by natural disasters have lower interest rates than comparable loans not issued in the wake of disasters. Our study finds that lenders are involved in a prosocial behavior and are ready to give away some part of their interest income to help the communities in need.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationInternational Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2023
Subtitle of host publication"Rising like a Phoenix: Emerging from the Pandemic and Reshaping Human Endeavors with Digital Technologies"
PublisherAssociation for Information Systems
ISBN (Electronic)9781713893622
StatePublished - 2023
Event44th International Conference on Information Systems: Rising like a Phoenix: Emerging from the Pandemic and Reshaping Human Endeavors with Digital Technologies, ICIS 2023 - Hyderibad, India
Duration: Dec 10 2023Dec 13 2023

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Information Systems, ICIS 2023: "Rising like a Phoenix: Emerging from the Pandemic and Reshaping Human Endeavors with Digital Technologies"

Conference

Conference44th International Conference on Information Systems: Rising like a Phoenix: Emerging from the Pandemic and Reshaping Human Endeavors with Digital Technologies, ICIS 2023
Country/TerritoryIndia
CityHyderibad
Period12/10/2312/13/23

Keywords

  • Natural Disaster
  • P2P lending
  • Societal Impact

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