I came across an astonishing mind blowing number in my commute to work the other day, while listening to Owen Barder (@owenbarder) interview with Michael Clemens (@m_clem) on this Development Drums podcast (highly recommended -end of infomercial). The number? 60 percent. Sixty percent of the difference between the income of a person in a developed country … [Read more...] about The 60% solution and the trillion dollar bill
migration
A new data plan for development economics?
Just as giant AETNA uses Google searches to track Flu outbreaks, development economists are starting to capitalize on cell phone usage data. In a recent paper Joshua Blumenstock analyzes cell phone use - a largely untapped source of fresh data for development economists - to track migration patterns in Rwanda: … [Read more...] about A new data plan for development economics?
Cable cars, reading glasses for kids, and other random Monday links
The must read for this week: the 2013 World Bank Development Report on jobs is out today. What will OXFAM say?. Unexpected partners in crime: A randomized experiment just published in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows (gated) that the introduction of Metrocable in Medellin- a new cable-propelled transit system - show that interventions in neighborhood physical … [Read more...] about Cable cars, reading glasses for kids, and other random Monday links
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