One of the first things I do most mornings is check-out Chris Blattman’s blog. He recently posted a very provocative entry on corruption, criticizing the emphasis that many international agencies place on it, calling it an “Anglo-American fetish.” Westerners care about corruption far out of proportion to its impact on poverty alleviation and economic growth. […] To be … [Read more...] about The tip of the Iceberg
Beyond development effectiveness
What you see is (not) what you get
“Beauty makes princes of those who have it” Oscar Wilde Note: If after reading this blog, you still think that you would never discriminate, please take the test linked at the end of the post and surprise yourself In August, 2011, The Economist published one of those quirky and interesting articles that make most of us subscribers: The economics of good looks. The … [Read more...] about What you see is (not) what you get
Cognition and cost-benefit analysis
More than ten years ago, Cass Sunstein wrote an article on how Cost Benefit analysis can be used to fight our cognitive biases and help unravel our misunderstanding of the facts. … [Read more...] about Cognition and cost-benefit analysis
CEO pay, fruits and happiness, online education and more Monday links
Bankers (50% premium) and CEOs (250% premium) are overpaid. HT @justinsandefur We know from the China Study, that animal protein is not that great for you. But, do fruit and veggies make you happier? … [Read more...] about CEO pay, fruits and happiness, online education and more Monday links
Colombian “violence-metrics”
By: Ana Maria Díaz Assistant Professor, School of Economics, Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia The Colombian armed conflict has generated a considerable amount of evidence based research. So much so that many have started to refer to it as “violence-metrics”. This literature can be grouped in three categories: descriptive studies that show how the conflict has … [Read more...] about Colombian “violence-metrics”