VoxDev Development Economics

Almost everywhere, women have less economic power than men, and earn less at work. Their commitment to childcare and work in the home gives them less spare time than men, as well as less recognition for the value of what they do. In another episodes based on the new book The London Consensus, published by LSE Press, Barbara Petrongolo of the University of Oxford, who one of the authors of the book’s chapter on Labour markets and gender inequality, and Ashwini Deshpande of Ashoka University, who wrote a response discuss with Tim Phillips whether there is a consensus on policy – and way to implement it – in this area. Download The London Consensus. https://www.lse.ac.uk/school-of-public-policy/research/london-consensus

Hope Michelson, a development economist at the University of Illinois who studies agricultural input markets, explores why better seeds, fertilisers and pesticides often fail to reach farmers. She discusses supply-side frictions like logistics, finance and seasonality. She highlights the critical role of agri-dealers, data gaps about sellers, and how fixing input markets could help reverse falling yields in sub-Saharan Africa.

The new book The London Consensus is a large and very comprehensive successor to the Washington Consensus that dominated policymaking during the 1990s. It attempts to capture where the Washington consensus fell short, and suggest better policy for development.One area in which we need better policy is basic education. Despite the success of programmes to build and equip schools, outcomes are not improving. Pritchett’s chapter in The London Consensus examines the learning crisis and suggests what policy can do about it. He tells Tim Phillips that there are no short cuts – but examples from around the world show that solutions are possible. 

In this engaging discussion, Supreet Kaur and Emily Breza, researchers in development economics, dive into the unique challenges facing labor markets in developing countries. They reveal startling statistics on low wage-employment rates and the prevalence of casual, short-term jobs. The pair also explore how self-employment often acts as a safety net and why flexibility is favored over stable jobs. With insights into the roles of social networks and optimistic jobseekers, they highlight urgent policy gaps needed to improve job conditions for millions.

Ideas in Development is VoxDev's new second podcast! You can listen to Ideas in Development wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe, so you won't miss an episode.Today we're bringing you one of the episodes from our new series. Oliver Hanney and Kartik Akileswaran ask how Costa Rica, a small country of approximately 5 million people, became an attractive hub that now hosts operations for more than 1,000 multinationals. To take us through this period of economic change, we were joined by Andres Valenciano Yamuni, who played his own role in Costa Rica’s FDI journey during his time as Minister of Foreign Trade.

Benjamin Piper, a development and education specialist at the Gates Foundation, dives into the critical issue of global literacy. He emphasizes that reading is foundational for learning, enabling skills like numeracy. Piper discusses how ineffective teaching methods hinder progress and outlines six core instructional areas to improve literacy. He advocates for phonics and the importance of accessible reading materials. Additionally, he highlights the benefits of teaching in children's first language and showcases successful programs that doubled literacy outcomes, urging policymakers to act.

In this engaging discussion, economists Robin Burgess from LSE and Rohini Pande from Yale dive into the concept of a unified global carbon market. They explore how integrating compliance and voluntary markets can enhance credibility and efficiency in carbon trading. The duo highlights successful models like the EU ETS and discusses the need for standardized regulations to build trust. They also examine how this unified system can shift funds to low-income countries, accelerate clean energy adoption, and unlock significant investments for sustainable growth.

Many papers in economics have shown the scale of the damage that slavery did to Africa, but can we also make the argument that the slave trade helped cause Europe’s economic development? Ellora Derenoncourt of Princeton is the author of a recently published paper which uses new methods and new data to investigate this question.  She talks to Tim Phillips about what historical records can and cannot tell us about that link, and what this data tells us about the growth of European port cities.

Seema Jayachandran, a Princeton economist focused on development economics and gender, teams up with Alessandra Voena from Stanford, who specializes in family economics. They delve into the complexities of women’s power at home, discussing how economic growth alone isn’t enough to enhance women's influence without legal reforms. Insights include the challenges of measuring household power, the impact of cash transfers on women, and effective strategies like boosting earnings and rights. They also explore the risks of backlash when empowering women and highlight the need for better data on household dynamics.

Manisha Shah, an economist and professor at UC Berkeley specializing in intimate partner violence (IPV), discusses the complexities of measuring and preventing IPV. She reveals that about one in three women experience IPV globally, with heightened prevalence in certain regions. Shah highlights the economic costs of IPV, estimated at 1-2% of GDP, and analyzes how poverty and social norms contribute to its persistence. She also emphasizes the importance of engaging men in prevention strategies and the need for cost-effective interventions like counseling.