This is a joint blog with Cesar Rodriguez. The need for public intervention to expand access to credit for firms in emerging markets has been debated for long by policy makers and scholars. Even more controversial has been the role that government-owned Banks should play in these economies. We just published a paper in the SPD working paper series, in which we try to … [Read more...] about The impact of public credit programs on Brazilian firms
Randomized Control Trials vs. Structural models: sometimes a question of life or death (and millions of dollars….)
I ran into this Wired article that tells the interesting story of the Pfizer failure in launching torcetrapib, a potentially revolutionary compound for cardiovascular treatment. Although the conclusion is too skeptical and the article gets a little bit lost on the “correlation vs. causation” argument, I believe it’s a good example of what can happen when people become … [Read more...] about Randomized Control Trials vs. Structural models: sometimes a question of life or death (and millions of dollars….)
In search of the lost data
An objection I usually hear when discussing with practitioners about using rigorous impact evaluation techniques is “…but these evaluations cost a lot of money”. I always answer that the cost of an evaluation does not depend on the method, but mainly on whether or not you need to collect primary data (I was glad to hear Paul Gertler responding in the same way during a recent … [Read more...] about In search of the lost data
Beyond social sectors: “Productive” Impact Evaluations
It was not a surprise, but certainly an encouraging confirmation: the use of rigorous impact evaluation methodologies has spread beyond social sectors. I just participated in the conference “Mind the Gap: From Evidence to Policy Impact” and I was glad to see that 8 out 38 parallel sessions were devoted to discussing impact evaluations of programs and projects aimed at … [Read more...] about Beyond social sectors: “Productive” Impact Evaluations