All articles
-
How should political parties choose candidates?
An experiment in Sierra Leone varied how much say voters, compared to party officials, had in selecting candidates for Parliamentary elections, and sheds light on which systems of leadership selection are most effective
-
How new monitoring systems shaped China’s war on air pollution
The advanced air quality monitoring system in China has led to improvements in local air quality, but also prompted local governments to strategically prioritise areas near the monitors in order to meet pollution control targets. This localised response poses a new challenge for enforcement and interpreting pollution readings from ground monitors.
-
How effective are monetary incentives to vote?
A larger fine for electoral abstention increases voter turnout but does not affect election outcomes in settings with compulsory voting
-
Grassroots party activism by women promotes equal political participation
In Indian local politics, women politicians empower women party activists for their campaigns, which reduces gender gaps in political knowledge and political participation
-
Gender disparities in the use of government health insurance in India
There are stark gender disparities in hospital usage in India which increase with the cost of care. Social subsidies are unlikely to close disparities without gender-targeted efforts
-
Trade liberalisation can weaken unions and reduce votes for the left
Intuitively, trade liberalisation should increase the appeal of left-wing parties that offer to protect workers with protectionist policies. Evidence from Brazil shows how liberalisation actually reduced votes for the left by undermining labour unions, the traditional support base of many left-wing parties.
-
Brain drain vs brain gain: Does international migration deplete poor countries of skilled workers?
Opportunities for nurses to migrate abroad can increase the supply of educated nurses at home
-
The impacts of a non-contributory government pension in Chile
A non-contributory government pension in Chile raised life expectancy of the elderly poor, increasing food consumption and visits to health centres, and also had important knock-on effects on relatives living in the same household
-
The reversal of the gender education gap with economic development: A cross-country analysis
There is a strong negative relationship between income and gender education gaps, a phenomenon that persists despite widely varying gender norms across countries