Breaking the Circle of Disadvantage

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. Peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms offer an alternative, involving individual investors making decisions not only based on profit motives but also empathy. Evidence over time has indicated that banks' post-disaster credit tighening is overly conservative, whiile FinTech platforms, by including empathetic lenders, may facilitate the channeling of relief to those in need. Learn more about the research surrounding these borrowing methods and how they affect minorities both positively and negatively.

About Raj Sharman
Raj Sharman is a Management Science and Systems Department Professor at The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. His expertise is in Artificial Intelligence, Patient Safety and Health IT, Information Assurance, including the use of biologically-inspired computer security models, and Disaster Response Management. He has published widely in national and international journals and has received numerous grants from the university and external agencies, such as the National Science Foundation. He also served as the Director of the MS in MIS program and as the Ph.D. Faculty Adviser for the Department of Management Science and Systems from 2005 to 2016. After obtaining his Bachelor's degree in engineering, he worked as an engineer on the shop floor of a large Iron and Steel company (Mukund Iron and Steel) in Bombay, India. After earning a master's degree, he served as a systems and software analyst at Moore Governmental Services developing Accounting Software. He then developed and managed an insurance underwriting software firm in the United States. After working as an entrepreneur for several years, he moved to academia. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Louisiana State University. He received his Bachelor's degree in engineering and a Master's degree in Management from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India.