Malawi

In 2004, a randomised controlled trial provided individuals in Malawi with information about their HIV status, despite treatment being unavailable in the country at the time. Did knowing one’s diagnosis help or hurt?

Despite the high HIV prevalence in Malawi, individuals do not seem to adjust their behaviour to avoid infection—this may be due to the perceived transmission risk being so high that people become fatalistic, assuming they are doomed to HIV infection ...

Evidence from Malawi shows that temporary capital inflows from migrants can permanently reshape rural labour markets by jumpstarting a structural transformation out of agriculture.

Self-interviewing survey techniques substantially increase reported levels of intimate partner violence, but this may be driven by respondents’ misunderstanding

Cash transfers improve food security for up to two years, but without an increase in food expenditures and non-agricultural income

Improving access to saving tools helps urban Malawian microentrepreneurs save and adjust labour supply decisions

Resilience measures can predict choice of coping strategies, helping targeted cash transfers improve how vulnerable households respond to shocks

Offering coupons for free chlorine is an effective way to increase water treatment and prevent waterborne diseases

Digital credit does not appear to systematically improve lives, while the lack of transparency raises serious concerns about predatory lending