Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development



Field of Research
Access to Financial Services (e.g. Microcredit, Micro-Insurance) for Agricultural Firms in Developing Countries.

Education

  • since 02/2011 PhD Student, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (Prof. Mußhoff)
  • 10/2004-01/2007 Studies of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt University Berlin
    (HU Berlin), Graduation: M.Sc. Agricultural Economics
  • 10/1999-05/2004 Studies of Agricultural Sciences, University of Applied Sciences (HTW) Dresden (FH), Graduation: Dipl. Ing. agr. (FH)
  • 06/1998 University Entrance Diploma, Wilhelm-Ostwald-Gymnasium, Leipzig (extended Profile for Mathematics and Sciences)



Professional Experiences

  • since 11/2017 Head of the working group: Finance and Insurance

    • since 02/2011 Project Manager KfW Bankengruppe, Frankfurt
      Financial Cooperation Evaluation Department (FZE)
    • 03/2009-01/2011 Project Manager KfW Bankengruppe, Frankfurt
      Financial and Private Sector, Sub-Saharan Africa
    • 01/2008-02/2009 Trainee, KfW Bankengruppe, Frankfurt
      Entwicklungsbank
    • 04/2007-12/2007 Project Manager, Farm Management Group,
      Institute for Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences, HU Berlin (Prof. Odening)
      and Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank (Rehwinkelstiftung)
    • 03/2005-12/2006 Scientific Assistant, Farm Management Group, Institute for Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences, HU Berlin (Prof. Odening)
    • 06/2004-10/2004 Freelancer, Agricultural Consulting Company (UMC), Dresden
    • 01/2002-12/2002 Freelancer, Agricultural Expertise Office, Kleindittmannsdorf



    Country Experiences

    • 10/2010-12/2010 Ethiopia – Secondment, KfW Bankengruppe, Country Office
    • 01/2007-03/2007 France – Language Studies, Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier
    • 04/2006-08/2006 Lesotho – Internship, German International Cooperation (GIZ), Country Office
    • 07/2005-09/2005 Brazil - University Project, HU Berlin / Universidade Catolica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande
    • 04/2003-10/2003 Namibia – Research, University of Namibia (UNAM), Neudamm
    • 04/2001-10/2001 Canada – Internship, Dairy Farm, Eckerlea Acres Ltd., Ontario
    • 10/1998-06/1999 Israel –Volunteer, Kibbuz Kinneret



    Language Skills
    German, English, French

    Awards

    • Outstanding Paper Award Winner (together with Prof. Oliver Musshoff) at the Emerald Literati Network 2014 Awards for Excellence for the paper " Can flexible microfinance loans improve credit access for farmers?"

    • Outstanding Paper Award Winner (together with Prof. Oliver Musshoff) at the Emerald Literati Network 2013 Awards for Excellence for the paper "Is agricultural microcredit really more risky? Evidence from Tanzania"

    • Foundation Council Award 2013 of the Georg-August-University Göttingen for the paper "Is agricultural microcredit really more risky? Evidence from Tanzania"



    Scientific Journals and Book Contributions

    von Negenborn, F., Weber, R. and Musshoff O. (2018): Explaining weather-related credit risk with evapotranspiration and precipitation indices. In: Agricultural Finance Review, https://doi.org/10.1108/AFR-07-2017-0058.
    Römer, U., Mußhoff, O., Weber, R. and Turvey, C. (2018): Assessing the reliability of self-reported income information in informal small business lending through a Bogus Pipeline experiment. In: Journal of Agricultural Economics (doi:10.1111/1477-9552.12263).
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2017): Can flexible agricultural microfinance loans limit the repayment risk of low diversified farmers? In: Agricultural Economics, Vol. 48 (5), pp. 537-548.
    Römer, U., Mußhoff, O., Weber, R. and Turvey, C. (2017): Wie ehrlich sind Kunden von Mikrofinanzinstituten? Ein Bogus-Pipeline-Experiment zur Untersuchung asymmetrischer Information im Mikrofinanzsektor auf den Philippinen? In: Schmalenbachs Zeitschrift für betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung (DOI; 10.1007/s41471-016-0026-5).
    Weber, R., W. Fecke, I. Möller, and O. Musshoff (2015): Meso-level weather index insurance: Overcoming low risk reduction potential of micro-level approaches. In: Agricultural Finance Review, 75(1), pp. 1-17.
    Pelka, N., O. Musshoff, and R. Weber (2015): Does weather matter? How rainfall affects credit risk in agricultural microfinance? In: Agricultural Finance Review, Vol. 75(2), pp.194-212.
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2013): Can flexible microfinance loans improve credit access for farmers? In: Agricultural Finance Review, Vol. 73 (2), pp. 255-271.
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2012): Is agricultural microcredit really more risky? Evidence from Tanzania. In: Agricultural Finance Review, Vol. 72 (3), pp. 416-435.
    Weber, R. (2013): Microfinance Beyond the Standard? Evaluating Adequacy and Performance of Agricultural Microcredit. In: Köhn, D (Ed.). Microfinance 3.0, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 139-153.
    Weber, R., Kraus, T., Mußhoff, O., Odening, M., Rust, I. (2008): Risikomanagement mit indexbasierten Wetterversicherungen - Bedarfsgerechte Ausgestaltung und Zahlungsbereitschaft. In: Rentenbank (Hrsg.): Risikomanagement in der Landwirtschaft. Schriftenreihe der Landwirtschaftlichen Rentenbank, Band 23: 9-52.

    Conference Proceedings and Presentations

    Römer, U., Mußhoff, O., Weber, R. and Turvey, C. (2017): Truth and consequences: Bogus pipeline experiment in informal small business lending, DARE Working Paper, No. 1702, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.
    Weber, R., von Negenborn, F. and O. Musshoff (2016): Explaining Weather Related Credit Risk of Agricultural Lenders: Precipitation vs. Evapotranspiration Index, Paper presented at the 156. European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) Seminar “Prospects for agricultural insurance in Europe”. Wageningen, Netherlands, October 3rd, 2016.
    Hansen, D., and R. Weber (2015): Dirty business low return? Profitability and credit access determinants of agricultural microfinance borrowers in Tanzania, Paper Presented at the International Agricultural Risk, Finance and Insurance Conference (IARFIC), Washington, D.C., USA, June 7-9, 2015.
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2015): Does pre-defined flexibility come with the cost of higher credit risk? Evidence from agricultural micro lending in Madagascar. Paper presented at the International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE), Milan, Italy, August 9-14, 2015.
    Weber, R., W. Fecke, K. Moeller, and O. Musshoff (2014): Meso-level insurance: Overcoming basis-risk and cost impediments of micro-level weather index insurance?, Paper Presented at the International Agricultural Risk, Finance and Insurance Conference (IARFIC), Zurich, Switzerland, June 23 – 24, 2014.
    Müller, K., O. Musshoff, and R. Weber (2014): Adverse selection or adverse incentive?: The role of collateral in agricultural microfinance, Paper Presented at the International Agricultural Risk, Finance and Insurance Conference (IARFIC), Zurich, Switzerland, June 23 – 24, 2014.
    Weber, R., O. Musshoff und M. Petrick (2014): How flexible repayment schedules affect credit risk in microfinance, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Department für Agrarökonomie und Rurale Entwicklung (DARE), Diskussionsbeitrag, No. 1404.
    Müller, K., O. Musshoff, and R. Weber (2014): The More the Better? How collateral levels affect credit risk in agricultural microfinance, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Department für Agrarökonomie und Rurale Entwicklung (DARE), Working Paper, No. 1402.
    Weber, R., O. Musshoff, and M. Petrick (2013): How Flexible Repayment Schedules Affect Credit Risk in Microfinance, Paper Presented at the International Agricultural Risk, Finance and Insurance Conference (IARFIC), Vancouver, Canada, June 16 – 18, 2013.
    Roemer, U., R. Weber, and O. Musshoff (2013): The Potential of Management Information System Data for the Development of Credit Scoring Models in Microfinance, Paper Presented at the International Agricultural Risk, Finance and Insurance Conference (IARFIC), Vancouver, Canada, June 16 – 18, 2013.
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2012): Microfinance for agricultural firms - What can we learn from bank data? Poster presented at the Poverty Equity and Growth Network (PEGNet) conference 2012 „How to make African economic lions: Tapping Africa’s growth and poverty reduction potentials“, Dakar, Senegal, September 06-07, 2012.
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2012): Microfinance for agricultural firms - What can we learn from bank data? Paper presented at the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) Triennial Conference, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, August 18-24, 2012.
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2012): Commercial microfinance: Are farmers treated differently? Contributed Paper prepared for presentation at the 86th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society (AES), University of Warwick, United Kingdom, April 16-18, 2012.
    Weber, R., O. Musshoff, and M. Petrick (2012): Microfinance for agricultural firms: Can special agricultural loan products improve credit access? Paper presented at the International Agricultural Risk, Finance and Insurance Conference (IARFIC), Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China, June 20-21, 2012.
    Weber, R., and O. Musshoff (2012): Microfinance for agricultural firms – credit access and loan repayment in Tanzania. Paper presented at the 123. European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) Seminar “Price volatility and farm income stabilization: modeling outcomes and assessing market and policy based responses”. Dublin, Ireland, February 23-24, 2012.
    Mußhoff, O.; Weber, R. (2008): Risikomanagement mit indexbasierten Wetterversicherungen - Bedarfsgerechte Ausgestaltung und Zahlungsbereitschaft. Symposium der Edmund Rehwinkel-Stiftung, 11. April 2008, in Frankfurt am Main.
    Odening, M.; Mußhoff, O.; Weber, R. (2008): Insurance of Weather Risk in Agriculture. Jahrestagung der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Agrarwirtschaft und Agrarsoziologie (SGA): “The Economics of Agriculture as Source and Victim of Environmental and Climate Change”, April 03-04, 2008, in Rapperswil, Switzerland.
    Xu, W.; Weber, R.; Odening, M.; Mußhoff, O. (2008): Optimal Design of Weather Bonds for Reinsuring Drought Risk. 108th European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) Seminar, February 08 09, 2008, in Warsaw, Poland.