All articles

Do cash transfers cause inflation?

Evidence from cash transfers at scale in Kenya suggests that demand-side policies or stimulus may be very effective at raising output without creating inflationary pressure when there is a lot of ‘slack’ in the economy.

Macroeconomics & Growth

Michael Walker Nachiket Shah Edward Miguel Dennis Egger Felix Samy Soliman Tilman Graff

Published

06.01.25

How low demand constrains productivity and economic development

Evidence from Kenya shows that small firms have a lot of ‘slack’, i.e. they could produce substantially more output without having to hire additional workers, buy additional machines, or raise prices, simply by reducing their idle time. Why is slack ...

Macroeconomics & Growth

Michael Walker Nachiket Shah Edward Miguel Dennis Egger Felix Samy Soliman Tilman Graff

Published

06.01.25

Three smart ways to unlock progress on the big issues in development in 2025

Members of the 'Network of Chief Economists of Development Agencies and Finance Institutes' explore how we can unlock progress on the big issues for global development in 2025.

Macroeconomics & Growth

Adnan Khan María del Pilar Garrido Gonzalo Indermit Gill Kalpana Kochhar Lars Andreas Loe Pushpam Kumar Albert Park Elina Scheja Ruud van der Helm

Published

03.01.25

How colonial segregation policies impact land values in Mexico today

Colonial segregation policies in Mexico City entrenched divisions between Spaniards and indigenous communities, shaping modern economic inequalities because of weak property rights, unequal provision of public goods and enduring social stigma.

Institutions & Political Economy

Luis Baldomero-Quintana Guillermo Woo-Mora Enrique de la Rosa Ramos

Published

20.12.24

Businesses profiteer from humanitarian cash transfers through price hikes

Evidence from Kenya shows how cash transfers in imperfect markets lead businesses to capture some of the benefits by raising prices, ultimately at the expense of transfer recipients.

Firms

Antonia Delius Olivier Sterck

Published

18.12.24

Behavioural strategies to reduce teacher sorting in Peru

Low-income students are more likely to attend schools with less-qualified teachers widening achievement gaps. The Peruvian government’s novel and low-cost nationwide strategy was successful at encouraging highly qualified teachers to apply for jobs i...

Education

Nicolas Ajzenman Eleonora Bertoni Gregory Elacqua Luana Marotta Carolina Méndez

Published

18.12.24

How Paraguay’s dictator turned infrastructure into a tool for repression

Infrastructure can drive development, but history shows it can also be used for political control. Paraguay’s roads under Stroessner's dictatorship highlight this dual nature, providing valuable lessons for today’s policymakers.

Infrastructure

Felipe González Josepa Miquel-Florensa Mounu Prem Stephane Straub

Published

17.12.24

How programme design and local context shape the lasting effects of cash and food transfers

A transfer programme in Bangladesh led to sustained consumption increases and reduced poverty four years post-programme, but design and context mattered.

Health

Akhter Ahmed Melissa Hidrobo John Hoddinott Bastien Kolt Shalini Roy Salauddin Tauseef

Published

16.12.24

Accurate information can correct misperceptions and drive public demand for democracy

Authoritarian regimes cultivate misperceptions about the quality of democratic institutions and the value of democracy. How did an intervention, providing accurate information to voters in Türkiye, address these misperceptions and affect demand for d...

Institutions & Political Economy

Daron Acemoğlu Cevat Giray Aksoy Ceren Baysan Carlos Molina Gamze Zeki

Published

16.12.24