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
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.
In Indian local politics, women politicians empower women party activists for their campaigns, which reduces gender gaps in political knowledge and political participation
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
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.
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
There is a strong negative relationship between income and gender education gaps, a phenomenon that persists despite widely varying gender norms across countries
