[vsw id="thkzwHCKLrs" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] In my previous blog, I shared some thoughts on the challenges of evaluating and measuring teaching methods innovations. More specifically, on the challenges of measuring the impact of an intensive instruction program using the Rassias teaching method on English as a second language teaching. The … [Read more...] about Notes from the field: help me improve
Beyond development effectiveness
Crime, emotions and gender: from fútbol to football
I just finished reading a fascinating paper on soccer and crime in Uruguay (4th in the 2010 World Cup), by Ignacio Munyo and Martín Rossi from the Universidad de San Andrés in Argentina. Rossi is also the author of another interesting paper on conscription and crime where he showed that participation in the Argentinian military service increases the likelihood of developing … [Read more...] about Crime, emotions and gender: from fútbol to football
The top ten blogs and sites for 2012: a randomized list
As 2012 slowly starts, and this being our first blog of the year, here are ten blogs and sites that are fun and interesting, in eclectic and random(ized) order. Roving Bandit is probably the best economics blog in South Sudan, according to its author Lee Crawfurd, who also blogs at the Innovations for Poverty Action site. If you like Thaler’s and Sunstein’s Nudge, then … [Read more...] about The top ten blogs and sites for 2012: a randomized list
Failing successfully
By Belissa Rojas The race for accountability, transparency and clear results is creating incentives to report the positive: demonstrating that project outputs were delivered, and in the best case, that the interventions had the desired impact. A quick look at the monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems from the MDBs shows that there are clear incentives to … [Read more...] about Failing successfully
Is economics research credible?
By Conner Mullally Many of us believe that studies following the “gold standard” of randomized assignment, such as those generated by academic labs in the hard sciences, are beyond reproach. According to Bruce Booth - a scientist turned venture capitalist - “the unspoken rule is that at least 50% of the studies published even in top tier academic journals – Science, Nature, … [Read more...] about Is economics research credible?