S2 Ep16: Does workfare work?
How much do we know about what workfare programs achieve for people who take part? An analysis of one program in Côte d’Ivoire fills in some of the gaps in our knowledge, Patrick Premand tells Tim Phillips.
25m Apr 20, 2022
25m
S2 Ep15: Making entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs create most of the new jobs in Africa. But can the skills of an entrepreneur be taught, and which skills will be most useful for Africa's young businesspeople? Paul Gertler tells Tim Phillips about a groundbreaking training program in Uganda.
22m Apr 13, 2022
22m
S2 Ep14: Does being open to trade help development?
Economists have been arguing about whether openness to international trade creates growth for 250 years. David Atkin tells Tim Phillips about his analysis of the conditions in which increased openness improves welfare in a developing country. 
16m Apr 06, 2022
16m
S2 Ep13: Distortion by audit
Auditing ensures public procurement is good value. Or does it? An experiment in Chile suggests the audit itself makes procurement less efficient afterwards. Dina Pomeranz opened the black box of the audit process and tells Tim Phillips what she discovered.
18m Mar 30, 2022
18m
S2 Ep12: Creating social cohesion in Turkey's schools
Turkey has received 4m refugees from Syria, a quarter of them children. How can its schools integrate so many new students, help them to make friends and to learn a new language? Sule Alan tells Tim Phillips about a program that has successfully built social cohesion in Turkey's schools.
21m Mar 23, 2022
21m
S2 Ep11: Pensions and poverty in Paraguay
Paraguay, like Peru and Mexico, is supporting seniors with a monthly non-contributory pension payment. What difference does this income make to the people who receive it? Quite a lot, Sebastian Galiani tells Tim Phillips.
13m Mar 16, 2022
13m
S2 Ep10: Food or food stamps?
Indonesia recently started providing vouchers instead of rice to millions of households. Elan Satriawan of National Team for Acceleration of Poverty Reduction tells Tim Phillips that this has made it possible to target aid better and is cheaper to administer too.
21m Mar 09, 2022
21m
S2 Ep9: Is information or cash the cure for malnutrition?
Malnutrition in children is a silent killer. Is it made worse by lack of knowledge or lack of income? Michael Levere tells Tim Phillips about an experiment in Nepal that investigated the best way to help mums-to-be.
15m Mar 02, 2022
15m
S2 Ep8: Rural roads, agricultural extension, and productivity
In Ethiopia, one development program is building roads to remote villages, while another tries to make small farms more productive. Mesay Gebresilasse tells Tim Phillips how well the projects work individually – and how much more successful they are when implemented together.
15m Feb 23, 2022
15m
S2 Ep7: Corruption and firms in Brazil
In May 2003 the Brazilian government launched an anti-corruption program that exposed and suspended corrupt public officials. Emanuele Colonnelli tells Tim Phillips that the campaign worked – and not just in the districts that were audited.
21m Feb 16, 2022
21m
S2 Ep6: Building trust in Pakistan's court system
When courts lack credibility, non-state actors may step in – and the less that we engage with state institutions, the weaker they become. How do we turn this around? Daron Acemoglu tells Tim Phillips about an experiment to inspire more trust in the state among the citizens of Punjab in Pakistan.
16m Feb 09, 2022
16m
S2 Ep5: Supporting learning out of school
In developing countries, more than 90% of children go to primary school. How can we best support their learning? An experiment in India targeted both the times the kids are in school, and the times they are not. Martina Björkman Nyqvist tells Tim Phillips what works -- and what doesn't. 
20m Feb 02, 2022
20m
S2 Ep4: Disaster relief in Mexico
The Mexican government attempted to reduce the effect of extreme weather on people’s lives by establishing FONDEN, a fund to finance recovery and reconstruction. Alejandro del Valle tells Tim Phillips whether it succeeded. 
20m Jan 26, 2022
20m
S2 Ep3: The legacy of autocracy in China
When state repression does its job, does it make us less charitable and less likely to speak our minds afterwards – and, if so, how long does that effect last? Melanie Meng Xue discusses the centuries-long legacy of autocratic rule in China.
20m Jan 19, 2022
20m
S2 Ep2: The gender pay gap in India's markets
In almost every job, in high and low-income countries, women earn less than men. Solène Delecourt tells Tim Phillips about a series of experiments that help explain why male vegetable sellers in Jaipur, India earn more than their female competition – and what can be done about it.
16m Jan 12, 2022
16m
S2 Ep1: Are there too many farms in the world?
Low-income countries have many small farms, and high-income countries have far fewer large farms and much higher agricultural productivity. Tim Phillips asks Mark Rosenzweig whether developing countries would be better off with bigger farms.
19m Jan 05, 2022
19m
S1 Ep70: India's school assessments fail the reliability test
In India, tests intended to evaluate overall student achievement, soon to be rolled out nationally, suffer from massive grade inflation - even though no children or teachers are rewarded or punished based on the results. Ahbijeet Singh tells Tim Phillips why this happens and how we can collect more reliable administrative data in future.
26m Dec 15, 2021
26m
S1 Ep69: Stay or migrate?
A structural transformation means workers moving to cities for good jobs, or better living conditions for their families, maybe also having smaller families. But these decisions are not made independently: new research examines the trade-off that we make between migration and fertility, and suggests that China's migration and one-child policies may not have been the boost to economic growth tha...
26m Dec 08, 2021
26m
S1 Ep68: Do marketers matter for entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurs in developing countries need access to finance, education, and better institutions. But do they need more marketing? Stephen J Anderson of the University of Texas tells Tim Phillips about an experiment in Uganda that suggests that the answer is yes for both the entrepreneurs, and for economic growth.
19m Dec 01, 2021
19m
S1 Ep67: The search for good jobs
There are 420 million young people in Africa today, but 140 million are unemployed, and another 130 million are underemployed or in working poverty. What type of interventions will help them in their search for a good job? Anna Vitali and Imran Rasul tell Tim Phillips about a multi-year experiment in Uganda that reaches some surprising conclusions.
26m Nov 24, 2021
26m
S1 Ep66: Information operations and civilian cooperation
In many conflict situations, should winning hearts and minds be the priority? Information operations are an essential part of military strategy, but so far there have been few systematic evaluations of how well they actually work. Using a new source of data Austin Wright tells Tim Phillips about the success of one such operation in Afghanistan.
17m Nov 17, 2021
17m
S1 Ep65: A low-cost way to raise tax revenues in Uganda
Policy to increase tax compliance in developing countries often focuses on enforcement, and that's difficult, unpopular, and costly. Are there other ways to encourage small businesses to pay tax that may be easier and cheaper? Isabelle Cohen worked with the Uganda Revenue Authority to implement a method that raised six times what it cost.
13m Nov 10, 2021
13m
S1 Ep64: Caste and occupation in India
India's caste system traditionally determined which occupation families chose. In modern India, does caste still influence someone's choice of job? Daniel Keniston tells Tim Phillips about the surprisingly complex relationship between caste, work, and India's economic development.
18m Nov 03, 2021
18m
S1 Ep63: Controlling Indonesia's forest fires
Satellite data from Indonesia shows the damage that out-of-control illegal forest fires, set by farmers to clear their land, do to other people's property and to the environment. Ben Olken tells Tim Phillips how we could reduce this damage by up to 80%.
11m Oct 27, 2021
11m
S1 Ep62: Buying votes
Politicians can bribe their way to an election win, but in a democracy we throw them out if they perform badly afterwards. Or maybe not: Jessica Leight tells Tim Phillips that vote-buying emboldens corrupt politicians to steal more, and that voters who take the handouts are also less likely to hold them to account.
13m Oct 20, 2021
13m
S1 Ep61: Incentivising Africa's businesses to pay taxes
Low-income countries struggle to collect tax, hurting economic stability, raising debt levels, cutting growth, and gutting basic services. Abebe Shimeles of African Economic Research Consortium tells Tim Phillips about a successful experiment in Ethiopia that also demonstrates the problem of creating sustainable policies to increase tax revenues.
17m Oct 13, 2021
17m
S1 Ep60: The value of India's rural roads
Big infrastructure projects are often dismissed as expensive and problematic. But Yogita Shamdasani tells Tim Phillips how a national roadbuilding program in India has transformed the lives of villagers by making agriculture more productive.
15m Oct 06, 2021
15m
S1 Ep59: Rewarding voters in Ghana
Will a government target spending in places where it thinks it can pick up support in the next election, or target funding to regions that supported it? A new paper analyses election results and local government spending in Ghana. Samuel Obeng tells Tim Phillips whether a political system created in part to defeat cronyism has worked as intended.
11m Sep 29, 2021
11m
S1 Ep58: Families as social institutions
When economists talk about the "household", they usually mean a family. But Natalie Bau and Raquel Fernandez tell Tim Phillips that there are many types of family, with many cultural traditions and habits, and these differences can have a big impact on whether well-meaning attempts to improve their lives will succeed or fail.
31m Sep 22, 2021
31m
S1 Ep57: Education technology: Ready for prime time?
For half a century Mexico's rural middle-schoolers have attended "telesecundaria" schools, in which they watch their lessons on TV. It saves money and makes sure that kids have qualified teachers. But, Raissa Fabregas tells Tim Phillips, we don't really know if they provide a good education. Until now.
19m Sep 20, 2021
19m
S1 Ep55: Learning from our urban past
Cities in developing economies can still learn a lot from our urban past, Ed Glaeser tells Tim Phillips. For thousands of years ancient cities have been coping with migration, transport, disease, new technology and land rights -- precisely the challenges that face fast-expanding new cities today.
21m Sep 17, 2021
21m
S1 Ep56: Hidden unemployment in India
In rural areas, about half of people who are available for work are not in full-time employment. Most are self-employed. Are they really entrepreneurs, or would they prefer a job and are they just trying to survive? Supreet Kaur tells Tim Phillips about an experiment that suggests unemployment may be higher than we assume.
18m Sep 15, 2021
18m
S1 Ep54: Is financial literacy necessary?
We often try to improve incomes and financial decision-making of working people by teaching financial literacy. But in Uganda an intervention tested whether learning by saving in a bank account might also be an effective route to knowledge. If this works, Dean Karlan tells Tim Phillips, it might be a low-cost route to financial inclusion.
14m Sep 13, 2021
14m
S1 Ep53: Slippery fish
When the government in Chile attempts to limit which fish can be caught and sold to protect stocks, market traders always find a way around the restrictions. Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak tells Tim Phillips the story of an experiment in how to enforce regulation -- with a surprise finding that could change how compliance works in other industries too.
23m Sep 10, 2021
23m
S1 Ep52: Using role models in Somali schools
How can Somalia's schools inspire kids to finish their education and learn about gender equality? A low-cost intervention uses role models with surprising success, says Munshi Sulaiman of BRAC.
13m Sep 08, 2021
13m
S1 Ep51: The effects of crime on jobs in Mexico
When drug-related violence exploded in Mexico, its effects were felt by everyone. Andrea Velásquez tells Tim Phillips how rising violence in Mexico City affected the willingness of people - especially women - to go to work.
18m Sep 06, 2021
18m
S1 Ep50: Reshaping gender attitudes in India
Children decide what's normal for girls and boys early in their development. Seema Jayachandran tells Tim Phillips how a program of discussions about gender equality at school can successfully change damaging attitudes to women's rights.
15m Sep 03, 2021
15m
S1 Ep49: Letting managers manage
If you want to succeed as a boss, business books tell you, you have to delegate. But we know less than you think about the impact of delegation on productivity and profitability. Namrata Kala of MIT tells Tim Phillips how some Indian SOEs decided to  let managers manage, giving us a new insight into the impact of managerial autonomy.
15m Sep 01, 2021
15m
S1 Ep48: The false promises of agricultural trials
Often we hear exciting news of crop yields from experimental trials, but then the gains don't show up in the real world. Rachid Laajaj tells Tim Phillips how a group of researchers solved this puzzle, and what this means for how we conduct trials in future.
23m Aug 30, 2021
23m
S1 Ep47: Public disclosure as a political incentive: Evidence from municipal elections in India
Councilors who thought performance reports would be published before an election invested more in infrastructure, with positive impacts on re-election Read “Public Information is an Incentive for Politicians: Experimental Evidence from Delhi Elections” by Abhijit Banerjee, Nils Enevoldsen, Rohini Pande, and Michael Walton here (https://economics.yale.edu/sites/default/files/delhivoter_shared-4_...
15m Feb 24, 2021
15m
S1 Ep47: The unintended impacts of formal credit programmes on social networks: Evidence from India
The introduction of financial institutions in communities may generate long-lasting externalities, including losses in informal social linkages Read “Changes in social network structure in response to exposure to formal credit markets” by Abhijit Banerjee, Emily Breza, Arun G. Chandrasekhar, Esther Duflo, Matthew O. Jackson, and Cynthia Kinnan here (https://www.nber.org/papers/w28365) .
15m Feb 17, 2021
15m
S1 Ep47: Learning-by-doing: Navigating financial technologies among Bangladeshi factory workers
How automatic payments can help individuals save more and better protect themselves against consumer risks Read “Learning to navigate a new financial technology: Evidence from payroll accounts” by Emily Breza, Martin Kanz, and Leora F. Klapper here.
18m Feb 02, 2021
18m
S1 Ep47: Is faster always better? Evidence from Mexico’s digital credit market
Access to fast cash through digital credit may put consumers at risk for over-indebtedness and likelihood of default Read “Too fast, too furious? Digital credit delivery speed and repayment rates” by Alfredo Burlando, Michael A. Kuhn, and Silvia Prina here (http://www.silviaprina.com/pdfs/BKP_2021_01_15.pdf) .
20m Feb 01, 2021
20m
S1 Ep46: Designing more effective interventions to prevent childhood stunting: Evidence from Nigeria
Bundling interventions that offer parents health information along with cash transfers might yield more sustainable changes in early-life health outcomes for children
25m Jan 27, 2021
25m
S1 Ep47: Designing more effective interventions to prevent childhood stunting: Evidence from Nigeria
Bundling interventions that offer parents health information along with cash transfers might yield more sustainable changes in early-life health outcomes for children Read “The impacts of a multifaceted pre-natal intervention on human capital accumulation in early life” by Pedro Carneiro, Lucy Kraftman, Giacomo Mason, Lucie Moore, Imran Rasul and Molly Scott here (https://www.iza.org/publicatio...
25m Jan 27, 2021
25m
S1 Ep46: Urban-rural gaps in the developing world: Does internal migration offer opportunities?
Policymakers might seek to address the frictions that prevent potentially beneficial migration to urban areas from taking place Read “Urban-Rural Gaps in the Developing World: Does Internal Migration Offer Opportunities?” by David Lagakos here (https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.34.3.174) . 
18m Jan 20, 2021
18m
S1 Ep46: Unintended consequences: How workfare programmes may fuel school dropouts in India
Workfare schemes, designed as an alternative to more traditional social benefit programmes, are increasingly popular in developing countries. India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), one of the world’s largest workfare programmes, has been celebrated for leading to increased wages in rural areas. Yet research by Bryce Millet Steinberg and Manisha Shah finds that the programme...
15m Jan 13, 2021
15m
S1 Ep46: How does shame and embarrassment impact social learning? Evidence from India
Social learning is an important part of how people gain knowledge to inform their decisions. Seeking new information from one’s networks or peers can, however, be inhibited by feelings of shame or fears of reputation loss. These inhibitory mechanisms have been the focus of extensive sociological research. In this VoxDevTalk, Benjamin Golub, discusses findings from his field experiment in rural ...
14m Jan 06, 2021
14m
S1 Ep46: Failure of frequent assessment: Evidence from India’s continuous and comprehensive evaluation programme
Continuous assessment programmes, which emphasise frequent evaluation over infrequent, high-stakes testing, are an increasingly popular way to improve student learning outcomes. In this VoxDevTalk, Jim Berry discusses his work with Harini Kannan, Shobhini Mukerji, and Marc Shotland in which the authors investigate the roll out of frequent assessment policies among a large sample of primary scho...
14m Dec 08, 2020
14m
S1 Ep45: Should electricity be a right? Evidence from India
A social norm in which people deserve access to electricity regardless of payment may actually be undermining efforts for universal access
13m Nov 25, 2020
13m