VoxDev Development Economics

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

How do we get more women in senior positions? Chris Woodruff shares insights from the Bangladeshi garment industry. Find out more at VoxDev.org

VoxDev's own Editor-in-Chief, Tavneet Suri, drawing insights from her work at J-PAL and VoxDev, emphasises the importance of researchers deeply engaging with, as well effectively communicating the findings of the vast body of existing research to, policymakers. Find out more at VoxDev.org

Using the example of healthcare in India, Nick O’Donohoe, Chief Executive Officer, CDC, discusses how data plays a crucial role in making sure investments are put to their best use. Find out more at VoxDev.org

Yasuyuki Sawada, ADB’s Chief Economist, provides insight into Asia’s development and overcoming the middle-income trap. Find out more at VoxDev.org

Rodger Voorhies, Executive Director of Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,  shares a first-hand account of the importance of empirical analysis for development practitioners Find out more at VoxDev.org

How does USAID decide how and where to channel its efforts?