All articles

Management and the wealth of nations

A 15-year survey of 12,000 firms across 34 countries shows that management practices explain a large share of productivity gaps

Firms

John Van Reenen

Published

18.01.18

Reconstruction and conflict: Losing hearts and minds

A study finds that military-led projects in the Afghan health sector alleviate violence, whereas those in the education sector actually provoke conflict

Infrastructure

Travers Barclay Child

Published

15.01.18

Public servants and political bias: Evidence from the UK civil service and the World Bank

An experiment shows that public servants make errors when interpreting data, incorrectly concluding that it aligns with their ideological preferences

Institutions & Political Economy

Stefan Dercon

Published

11.01.18

Social structure and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa

Ethnic groups with a social structure based on lineage and strong allegiances to distant relatives show a greater propensity for violent conflict

Institutions & Political Economy

Jacob Moscona Nathan Nunn James Robinson

Published

09.01.18

Corruption, bribery, and public sector hiring in developing countries

Government jobs are often allocated based on bribes and patronage. How does this process work, and can this lead to good outcomes?

Public Economics

Jeff Weaver

Published

04.01.18

The winners and losers from partial health insurance

Health insurance for families in Nicaragua had a positive impact on parents and their insured younger children, but not on uninsured older children

Health

Rebecca Thornton Anne Fitzpatrick

Published

04.01.18

A new approach to global poverty: Measuring absolute and relative income

A new poverty measure reveals that in the past 25 years, global poverty has declined but relative poverty has increased in developing countries

Methods & Measurement

Martin Ravallion Shaohua Chen

Published

21.12.17

Morality and credit card debt repayment in Indonesia

Do people care about morality when it comes to economic decisions with high financial stakes? An experiment with an Islamic bank's credit card customers aimed to find out

Finance

Leonardo Bursztyn Stefano Fiorin Daniel Gottlieb Martin Kanz

Published

20.12.17

Using consulting to improve managerial capital for SMEs

Improving managerial capital for SMEs in emerging markets also improves productivity, return on assets, and entrepreneurial spirit

Firms

Miriam Bruhn Dean Karlan Antoinette Schoar

Published

18.12.17