Democratic Republic of the Congo

A community-led water, sanitation, and hygiene programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo improved access but was unable to protect child health. Evidence suggests that more investment in water quality may be necessary to reduce diarrheal diseases...

Can taking textbooks home improve student learning when resources are highly constrained? New research from fragile areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo suggests it can.

Reducing tax rates increases tax revenues when enforcement capacity is low. However, low-capacity states can invest in tax enforcement to shift up the revenue-maximising tax rate.

Promoting modern seed varieties accelerated the deforestation of primary forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Optimising the assignment of tax collectors significantly increases tax revenue and compliance at little or no added cost

Concessions granted to private companies to extract natural resources still have negative effects on present-day development in the DRC

City chiefs collecting taxes in Kananga, DRC, outperformed state agents thanks to their superior local information about potential taxpayers

A property tax campaign in the city of Kananga increased tax compliance and stimulated citizen demand for inclusive and accountable government

Whilst financial incentives to healthcare providers might seem a sensible solution to improving service provision, evidence from DRC shows otherwise