Alfred Marshal regarded himself as “a wanderer in the land of dry facts; looking forward to a speedy return to the luxuriance of pure thought.” Keynes, in his 1924 Economic Journal obituary, (ungated here) thought that Marshall combined “the most essential and fundamental of the economist's necessary gifts-he was conspicuously historian and mathematician, a dealer in the … [Read more...] about 8 qualities of good economists
Evaluation methods and techniques
Three starting points to understand education quality
I recently came across the question: if I was going to identify the main determinants of low quality of education in a given population, where would I start? Asking education system stakeholders involves capturing perceptions that may respond to group interests that do not necessarily provide an answer. Ideally, one would let the data lead to an answer. After spending much … [Read more...] about Three starting points to understand education quality
Simulation models in tourism projects
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism sustains more jobs than financial services, communications, mining, automotive and chemicals manufacturing industries across every region of the world. In areas such as the Caribbean, tourism represents 41% of goods and services total exports. Its potential is promising to many: some consider that tourism … [Read more...] about Simulation models in tourism projects
10 Pitfalls in Cost Benefit Analysis
Demonstrating effectiveness is at the core of the RCT revolution (led by lab, quasi and discontinuous randomistas and followed by many of us on twitter). It is only quite recently that structural models have begun to appear that allow for reliable estimates for welfare improvements, demand curves and benefit flows. For instance, this recent study on de-worming in Kenya which … [Read more...] about 10 Pitfalls in Cost Benefit Analysis
The evaluation agenda in education moves ahead in Mexico
The First Workshop on Impact Evaluation in Education in Mexico just took place these past 7th, 8th and 9th of May in Mexico City. This workshop was a response to the National Institute for the Evaluation of Education, INEE's interest to start a work agenda on impact evaluation. INEE is an independent institution of the Ministry of Education and created by presidential decree … [Read more...] about The evaluation agenda in education moves ahead in Mexico