DID | VoxDev

Can better managers save lives? Lessons from Chile’s civil service reform in public hospitals

Merit-based recruitment and higher pay in Chile’s public hospitals attracted better-trained managers – leading to lower mortality rates and improved healthcare performance.

Public Economics

Pablo Muñoz Cristóbal Otero

Published

11.11.25

How expanding deposit insurance changed investor behaviour in India

In India, expanding deposit insurance coverage improved depositor welfare by reducing risk and encouraging a shift towards safer assets.

Finance

Pulak Ghosh Nicola Limodio Nishant Vats

Published

06.11.25

How political hierarchy shaped a millennium of development in China

Over a thousand years, China’s political hierarchy reshaped regional prosperity – provincial capitals flourished through bureaucracy and market access, but these benefits faded once they lost administrative status.

Institutions & Political Economy

Ying Bai Ruixue Jia

Published

30.10.25

From brain drain to brain bridges: How mobile PhD scientists connect home countries to global science

Internationally trained PhDs are often seen as a ‘brain drain’, but evidence from Colombia suggests that they act as crucial bridges – connecting local researchers to the global scientific community.

Migration & Urbanisation

Rodrigo Ito Diego Chavarro Tommaso Ciarli Robin Cowan Fabiana Visentin

Published

21.10.25

The unintended consequences of Brazil’s landmark anti-corruption campaign

Anti-corruption campaigns – such as Brazil’s Lava Jato – can reduce corruption but may also trigger significant unintended economic costs – disrupting credit markets while reducing employment and wage bills across both targeted and non-targeted firms...

Institutions & Political Economy

Claudio Ferraz Luiz Moura Lars Norden Ricardo Schechtman

Published

16.10.25

Ethiopia bet big on fertiliser plants. Did it pay off?

Ethiopia’s fertiliser blending initiative shifted farmers to new products but failed to boost yields or incomes – underscoring that fertiliser supply reforms must be paired with broader investments in seeds, water, soils, and markets to raise product...

Agriculture

Ellen McCullough Thomas Assefa Guush Berhane

Published

13.10.25

How communities benefit from rural electrification in Africa

Electrification is often seen as the spark for development. But in much of Africa, the biggest benefits may come not from households plugging in, but from the community services that light up around them.

Energy & Environment

Maika Schmidt Alexander Moradi

Published

08.10.25

How dowry shapes migration decisions in modern India

New data from India shows that parents often retain a share of dowry, which may enable sons to migrate for work, and provide a new role for dowry in modern times.

Migration & Urbanisation

Natalie Bau Gaurav Khanna Corinne Low Alessandra Voena

Published

07.10.25

First movers post conflict: How managerial experience shaped firm entry after Angola’s civil war

Firms were more likely to enter Angola’s market after the civil war if they employed managers with prior, Angola-specific export experience – highlighting the critical role of managerial human capital in overcoming fixed entry costs in post-conflict ...

Firms

Giordano Mion Luca David Opromolla Alessandro Sforza

Published

06.10.25