RDD | VoxDev

Are elite schools for me? How role models can narrow the aspirations gap

Can one student’s experience influence the educational decisions of those that follow? Evidence from admissions to elite schools in Peru shows how policies that make success stories visible can have multiplier effects.

Education

Ricardo Estrada Jérémie Gignoux

Published

19.08.25

Electoral reform in Brazil reduced voter fraud and improved public services

Evidence from Brazil highlights how tackling voter fraud can not only protect election integrity, but also enhance political accountability, improve leadership quality, and promote better governance outcomes.

Institutions & Political Economy

Ridwan Karim

Published

28.07.25

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

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

Breadwinner’s burden: How financial relief improved sleep and cognition in Indonesia

Cash transfers improve sleep quality for household heads but not other family members, revealing how financial pressures burden those responsible for providing.

Social Protection

Claire Duquennois Maulik Jagnani

Published

30.07.25

Disability employment quotas in Brazil: Enforcing the law with limited capacity

When it comes to labour laws, enforcement is often challenging, especially in developing countries. But what if enforcing regulations against just a few companies could influence dozens of others to comply as well? New research on Brazil's disability...

Labour Markets

Samuel Berlinski Jessica Gagete-Miranda

Published

11.07.25

Unintended consequences of conditional cash transfers on educational outcomes

New evidence from Morocco reveals that conditional cash transfers can constrain learning when no accompanying measures are taken by governments to account for increased enrolment.

Education

Jules Gazeaud Claire Ricard

Published

05.11.24

Power, politics, and welfare: The cost of corruption in Indian electricity

Political manipulation in India's electricity sector, involving illicit subsidies to constituents of the ruling party, results in staggering efficiency losses.

Energy & Environment

Meera Mahadevan

Published

18.09.24

Managing flood risk: Lessons from China’s Flood Detention Basin policy

Should we intentionally expose certain areas to higher risks to protect broader regions from disasters? Evidence from China suggests that although areas specifically designated to bear higher flood risk experience economic losses, the overall economi...

Energy & Environment

Yuxiao Hu Yifan Wang

Published

29.08.24