VoxDev Development Economics

Social science research seeks to improve the world we live in. Yet, there is little information on how much political leaders actually value this research when making policy decisions. In this VoxDev talk, Diana Moreira of the University of California, Davis discusses an innovative experiment which took place in more than 2,000 municipalities in Brazil and sheds new light on this topic. The findings suggest that Brazilian mayors not only change their beliefs after evidence briefings, but are also more likely to introduce related policies in their municipalities. 

Penny Goldberg is the World Bank’s Chief Economist. This means she manages the research department and is in charge of the research agenda. The World Bank has to continuously evolve to meet its ambitious agenda of eliminating extreme poverty and achieving shared prosperity. Its strength lies in its capacity to produce knowledge and convene policy makers and practitioners. Today, its greatest challenge is transitioning from an organisation that has been traditionally focused on lending to serving as an intermediary between the private sector and governments, conveying policy advice. More systematic collaboration with academia would be useful in making this transition.

On our two year anniversary we asked a few experts to reflect over the last two years of development economics and discuss what they think have been the most important challenges and new evidence. In this VoxDev Talk, Daron Acemoglu, MIT, highlights the slide of democratic and broadly inclusive institutions.   Editor’s Note: This is part of our 2 year VoxDev anniversary series

On our two year anniversary we asked a few experts to reflect over the last two years of development economics and discuss what they think have been the most important challenges and new evidence. In this VoxDev Talk, Bill Easterly, Co-Director of NYU’s Development Research Institute, discusses the backlash against globalisation, and the importance and challenge of conducting research on macroeconomic policies.   Editor’s Note: This is part of our 2 year VoxDev anniversary series

On our two year anniversary we asked a few experts to reflect over the last two years of development economics and discuss what they think have been the most important challenges and new evidence. In this VoxDev Talk, Penny Goldberg, World Bank Chief Economist, highlights the trend of becoming more inward looking, and the emergence of new and compelling evidence on how mobile people are when hit by economic shocks.   Editor’s Note: This is part of our 2 year VoxDev anniversary series

How can we combat the increasing trend that extreme poverty is not only confined to low-income countries, but also to middle-income ones?  

Abhijit Banerjee, Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics, MIT, talks to Tim Phillips about the run-up to 2011 elections in Delhi, India, where residents in a random sample of slums received newspapers containing report cards on politicians. The information was obtained under India’s disclosure laws. The cards presented information on the performance of the incumbent and the qualifications of the two main challengers. Treatment slums saw higher turnout, reduced vote buying, and a higher vote share for better performing and more qualified candidates. Voters assessed whether candidates catered to their interests and compared their performance. Social media can undermine or dilute access to credible information among voters.

Evidence shows that when more women are elected, it changes broader development outcomes due to their differing priorities. Yet women are almost unrepresented in parliaments around the world. In this interview, Lakshmi Iyer reveals to Tim Phillips that in India the challenge is that a woman winning a Parliamentary candidacy election does not see an increase in female candidates in the following election. This is likely due to underlying gender biases in society which even female quotas are unable to mitigate.

Who wins and losses in the technology trade war? John van Reenen (MIT) explains to Tim Phillips why technology transfer in a globalised world isn’t a zero sum game. Resistance to technology transfer has escalated as the competitive power of China has increased. That being said, China’s growth has benefited the West: It offers a huge market for goods and services, while competition has spurred innovation and stimulated investment. What’s more, trade tariffs will inhibit growth and waste resources. Focusing on domestic innovation, education, human capital accumulation, and unlocking talent is a more productive approach to winning the technology trade war. Photo: Ivan Walsh/ Flickr

Karthik Muralidharan and Paul Niehaus of University of California, San Diego, argue that when we test things at a small scale, they might not be predictive of how they perform at a larger scale. Find out more at VoxDev.org