DID | VoxDev

How trade liberalisation erodes the advantage of political connections

Tariff cuts in India reduced firms’ reliance on political connections, lowering politically driven misallocation and addressing a common source of inefficiency.

Trade

Sebastian Jävervall Roza Khoban

Published

25.07.25

When Special Economic Zones fail: Lessons from Indonesia

Indonesia’s Special Economic Zone programme (known as Integrated Economic Development Zones) had minimal impact on regional growth and welfare, largely because it targeted remote, low-potential areas and relied solely on tax incentives. Effective des...

Trade

Alexander Rothenberg Yao Wang Amalavoyal Chari

Published

14.08.25

The two faces of agricultural modernisation: How modern farming causes conflict

Agricultural modernisation in Brazil has driven economic growth but also intensified land inequality and redistributive conflict. As capital-intensive farming expands, it displaces rural communities and fuels organised land occupations—highlighting t...

Agriculture

Stefano Falcone Michele Rosenberg

Published

24.07.25

How expanding voting rights shaped politics in India

Voting rights alone did not transform political participation or competition in India, but they did shift government priorities in favour of the newly enfranchised voters.

Institutions & Political Economy

Guilhem Cassan Lakshmi Iyer Rinchan Ali Mirza

Published

12.08.25

The long-term health impacts of emergency aid: Evidence from the 1985 Ethiopian relief operation

Do we fully understand the impacts of emergency aid? New evidence from the 1984 Ethiopian famine suggests that emergency aid mitigates the impacts of large-scale disasters even decades later.

Health

Salvatore Di Falco Kyungbo Han

Published

11.08.25

Examples from development economics for your introduction to econometrics course

Economists employ a wide range of econometric methods when conducting research. Here are some examples of how these techniques are used to generate interesting and useful policy insights in development economics.

Oliver Hanney Emaan Siddique

Published

Thu, 17/07/2025 - 12:00

Tackling water scarcity: Lessons from a megaproject in China

China’s South-North Water Diversion Project delivered substantial agricultural and economic gains to water-receiving regions, with limited costs to source areas—highlighting the promise of large-scale, long-distance transfers in tackling water scarci...

Agriculture

Huayu Xu Guangbo Huang Chong Liu Tianyang Xi Wei You

Published

21.07.25

Special Economic Zones in India: Engines of economic growth or inefficiency?

Firm productivity rises in privately run Indian SEZs but stagnates in public ones, suggesting that political interference fuels rent-seeking behaviour.

Firms

Holger Görg Alina Mulyukova

Published

22.07.25

Strengthening bureaucrat incentives can curb crop burning and save lives in India and Pakistan

Evidence from India and Pakistan shows that harnessing district officials’ local pollution incentives reduces crop fires by up to 14.5% and deters burns by a further 13%, significantly lowering infant and child mortality.

Energy & Environment

Gemma Dipoppa Saad Gulzar

Published

15.07.25