VoxDev Development Economics

Guest Emily Oehlsen from Open Philanthropy explains how they choose causes to maximize impact, including diversification in health interventions, successful lead contamination reduction project in Bangladesh, maximizing health and economic benefits, estimating health benefits with DALYs, and setting impact bars in philanthropy grant-making.

Charles Kenny discusses rethinking the extreme poverty line and proposes alternative ways to measure poverty effectively. He explores the origins, methodology, and evolution of measuring extreme poverty, suggesting updates like consistent calculations over time and a deprivation measure based on Sustainable Development Goals for monitoring progress.

In developing countries, we know comparatively little about how well the elderly cope with problems like depression and loneliness. There are few policies to support sufferers, partly because of this lack of data. Maddie McKelway and Garima Sharma tell Tim Phillips about some of the surprising revelations of a new cross-country study and suggest ways in which policy can improve the mental health of seniors.

Asif Saleh, executive director of BRAC, discusses the impact of climate change in Bangladesh, highlighting adaptation strategies for vulnerable communities. The podcast explores the urgency of supporting developing countries, the importance of tailored crisis response programs, the crucial role of climate finance, and the challenges in allocating government resources for climate policy.

Researcher Eva Vivalt and expert Tim Phillips discuss how policymakers interpret evidence, focusing on biases like confirmation bias. They explore the importance of balancing local knowledge with formal evidence for better policymaking decisions, emphasizing tailored presentation of evidence for policymakers. The conversation highlights the significance of collaboration between researchers and policymakers in translating research findings into actionable policies.

Expert Oyebola Okunogbe discusses innovative tax collection methods in LMICs. Topics include challenges in tax-to-GDP ratios, improving tax capacity, leveraging technology for efficiency, government motivations, global tax innovations, and the optimism and challenges in tax collection for developing economies.

Inequality is high in many LMICs, and progressive taxation is a policy tool that would reduce it. But would a personal income tax or a consumption tax redistribute in the same way as in a high-income country? Lucie Gadenne of Queen Mary University of London and the IFS tells Tim Phillips that one of these taxes may be less progressive, and one may be more progressive, than we expect.

Economic development expert Penny Goldberg discusses the shift towards economic nationalism in global development. They explore the need for policies to address domestic demand and building a middle class for sustainable growth. Topics include the impact of trade dynamics, strategies for wealth redistribution, and challenges faced by policymakers in developing nations.

Chris Udry, editor of Agricultural Technology in Africa, discusses the stagnation in African agriculture and its impact on living standards. They explore the role of technology, property rights, and private sector collaboration in enhancing productivity and uplifting smallholder farmers.

Adrienne Lucas discusses scaling educational interventions in Ghana to improve learning outcomes, comparing small- and large-scale trials. Lessons from India inspire interventions like smaller class sizes and after-school programs in 500 schools. Challenges of implementation and the importance of quality for successful interventions are highlighted, emphasizing the need for differentiated teaching and post-COVID-19 educational resilience.