By Graham Watkins* A month ago I was bumping along a dusty road in the Beni (Bolivia) from San Borja to San Ignacio de Moxos. Someone in the car said that this road had been named as the “worst road in the world.” That reminded me of a 36 hours trip on the Georgetown-Lethem road (Guyana). We only had to travel 60 kilometers in an old British Army Bedford truck, but the … [Read more...] about How to avoid building more bad roads?
Errors: the simpler the better?
By: David Alfaro Serrano* Proper estimation of the standard errors of the estimators of regression coefficients is important. These estimates are needed when analyzing statistical significance, which is the basis of the interpretation of the results of an econometric analysis. In impact evaluation practice, analysis of statistical significance is what allows the researcher … [Read more...] about Errors: the simpler the better?
Can incentives improve our habits?
By Sebastian Galiani* No doubt, we economists believe that incentives matter. Recently, it has been argued that incentives could be used to encourage desirable habits, such as getting regular exercise or having a healthy diet. This has become particularly important in Latin America given its demographic and epidemiological situation (Galiani and Weinschelbaum, 2014). If … [Read more...] about Can incentives improve our habits?
Do We Practice Climate-Smart Agriculture?
By Nancy McCarthy* | [email protected] | Senior Researcher, Lead Analytics The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, established by the United Nations Environmental Programme and the World Meteorological Organization , in its Working Group I report, confirmed that it is extremely likely that human activity has contributed to increases in … [Read more...] about Do We Practice Climate-Smart Agriculture?
Do non-contributory pensions work?
Undoubtedly, pensions are one of the most important components of a social security system. Pensions improve welfare by facilitating individuals to be able to smooth consumption over the life-cycle. By contributing to a pension, an individual consumes today less than what she produces, so as to consume more after she has retired and is no longer producing. Pensions allow … [Read more...] about Do non-contributory pensions work?