Almost a year ago, we published a blog on the results of an innovative experiment that estimated the impact of paving streets in Mexico on property and land values, credit or use of durable goods. Cement was good. Now the authors (Marco Gonzalez-Navarro and Climent Quintana-Domeque) are circulating a working paper on the impact of street pavement on electoral support. … [Read more...] about Cement is good (for politicians too)
What does and doesn't work in development
Does it matter how we compare schools?
In Mexico, over 95% of elementary schools receive annual report cards. These cards provide information on the standardized average school test scores in Math, Spanish and a rotating subject. The card also includes past performance and State and Country averages. Starting in 2009, the state and country averages were made specific to the marginality level of the locality … [Read more...] about Does it matter how we compare schools?
2 additional examples of strategic ignorance
In a previous previous blog, I explored the positive impact of impact evaluations and impact evaluation institutional frameworks have had on policy formulation. And in a previous blog, I discussed two examples of areas where one would hope that investments and policy reflect the evidence, but do not: migration and investing in young males in urban areas. Two … [Read more...] about 2 additional examples of strategic ignorance
4 examples of strategic ignorance – Part 1
In a previous blog, we explored the positive impact of impact evaluations and impact evaluation institutional frameworks have had on policy formulation. It is hard to imagine the success of Conditional Cash Transfers, early childhood interventions, massive vaccinations or, more recently, deworming (despite the brouhaha) without the ammunition that hard evidence provided … [Read more...] about 4 examples of strategic ignorance – Part 1
3 good examples of the impact of impact evaluations
A few weeks ago, I published a blog post on some of the unsettling implications of this paper that suggested that some interventions lose their punch when done by public agencies. One of the takeaways was the need to “go up the bureaucratic supply chain” as nicely put by Justin Sandefur in a tweet on the post. In other words, the need to jump over the “challenge of … [Read more...] about 3 good examples of the impact of impact evaluations