RCT | VoxDev

When do cash transfers empower women?

Pairing an aspirations workshop with a cash transfer helped Kenyan women gain control of household resources and reduced intimate partner violence.

Social Protection

Mahreen Mahmud Kate Orkin Emma Riley

Published

06.01.26

Who wins when public transit challenges private transit?

Introducing new public buses in Lagos improved commuter welfare through lower fares and better service, but also reduced driver incomes and increased wait times in the private sector – highlighting the distributional trade-offs of public transit expa...

Infrastructure

Daniel Björkegren Alice Duhaut Geetika Nagpal Nick Tsivanidis

Published

02.12.25

What causes people to migrate to cities?

A large-scale randomised evaluation found that offering rural Kenyans information about earnings in the capital city increased migration and income.

Migration & Urbanisation

Zachary Barnett-Howell Travis Baseler Thomas Ginn Stepan Gordeev

Published

27.11.25

Subsidising healthcare helps children get the care they need

Subsidising healthcare for children in Mali substantially increased necessary care-seeking while generating only minimal unnecessary use.

Health

Anja Sautmann Mark Dean

Published

26.11.25

Cash transfers and agency: What Nigerian couples reveal about household power

In Nigeria, cash transfers to women increase their desire for agency but only when husbands can't see it – revealing the complex interplay between economic empowerment and social norms.

Social Protection

Mehrab Bakhtiar Marcel Fafchamps Markus Goldstein Kenneth Leonard Sreelakshmi Papineni

Published

25.11.25

The power of persuasion: How communication training helps more women enter the workforce and earn more

Training women in assertive communication in India enabled them to more effectively persuade their husbands to support their participation in the workforce – leading to substantial and sustained increases in women’s job uptake and earnings at low cos...

Labour Markets

Namrata Kala Madeline McKelway

Published

19.11.25

Can anti-corruption campaigns reduce vote buying? Lessons from Brazil’s municipal audits

In Brazil, anti-corruption audits substantially reduced vote buying and citizens’ demands for private favours – demonstrating how transparency initiatives can weaken clientelism and strengthen democratic accountability.

Institutions & Political Economy

Gustavo Bobonis Paul Gertler Marco Gonzalez-Navarro Simeon Nichter

Published

11.11.25

Can development aid counter insurgencies? Lessons from Afghanistan

Despite extensive investment in development initiatives aimed at building state legitimacy and countering insurgencies, evidence from Afghanistan suggests that such programmes can reduce violence when insurgencies are locally driven but may misalloca...

Institutions & Political Economy

Andrew Beath Fotini Christia Ruben Enikolopov

Published

10.11.25

How information shapes farmers’ expectations and adoption in Uganda

A national extension programme in Uganda raised farmers’ expectations and adoption of oilseed crops – revealing how beliefs, not just knowledge, drive agricultural transformation.

Agriculture

Jacopo Bonan Harounan Kazianga Mariapia Mendola

Published

03.11.25