How not to build a state: Evidence from Colombia Top-down strategies that prioritise military objectives may fail to develop, or even lead to the deterioration of, other crucial state capacities Institutions & Political Economy Daron Acemoğlu Leopoldo Fergusson James Robinson Dario Romero Juan F. Vargas Published 14.09.17
Enhancing the benefits of formalisation under a new status in Benin Providing information and assistance to informal firms increases formalisation, but the cost of the intervention is likely prohibitively high Firms Najy Benhassine David McKenzie Victor Pouliquen Massimiliano Santini Published 12.09.17
How female foeticide has influenced fertility and parental investments in girls Ultrasound technology has increased sex selection in India, but has also narrowed gender gaps in fertility and under-five mortality Health S Anukriti Sonia Bhalotra Hiu Tam Published 11.09.17
The labour market for teachers in Pakistan: Pay and effectiveness Teachers determine the quality of student learning; however, teacher effectiveness is difficult to predict and does not necessarily correlate to wages Education Natalie Bau Jishnu Das Published 08.09.17
Early childhood development policies: The evidence and the research agenda Effective education programmes can be implemented in low-income settings, but the quality of service and adapting it to the local context are crucial Education Orazio Attanasio Sarah Cattan Sonya Krutikova Published 07.09.17
Property rights and poverty reduction: Effects of land titling on Argentina’s urban poor Reducing the cost of land titles and simplifying the systems can improve land security and livelihoods of the poor Infrastructure Sebastian Galiani Published 05.09.17
Autonomy, incentives, and the effectiveness of bureaucrats Bureaucratic output is negatively associated with monitoring and incentive schemes but positively associated with the autonomy of mid-level bureaucrats Public Economics Imran Rasul Daniel Rogger Martin J. Williams Published 04.09.17
Strengthening women’s professional aspirations through job training: Evidence from Nigeria Beyond employment and earnings, job training can increase aspirations among women who lack the confidence to see themselves as successful Labour Markets Alaka Holla Published 31.08.17
Dodging the taxman: Evidence from Ecuador Tax evasion leads to large losses in government revenue. A recent study explores the limitations of a potential solution, third-party reporting Public Economics Paul Carrillo Dina Pomeranz Monica Singhal Published 29.08.17
