VoxDev Development Economics

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.