structural estimation

Low prices paid to suppliers in global supply chains can raise concerns about unequal sharing of gains from exporting. New research on India’s garment sector shows that these low prices can reflect both mutually beneficial agreements and surplus capt...

Many formal firms in sub-Saharan Africa only register after operating informally for a few years in order to grow and overcome financial constraints. Evidence from Nigeria suggests that taxes and enforcement – rather than registration costs alone – a...

Educated unemployment in urban West Africa stems from educated workers rationally waiting for scarce, high-paying public and formal private jobs in labour markets characterised by severe hiring frictions. Policies that reduce private-sector hiring co...

In Brazil, education raised productivity and reduced informality, while minimum wage increases compressed inequality but risked lowering formal employment for low-skilled workers.

In India, women city councillors outperform men. Yet gender quotas actually reduce the overall welfare of voters as deep-seated discrimination against women outweighs policy gains. Alternative designs can improve both representation and welfare.

Valuing the time of the self-employed is crucial for evaluating interventions and conducting cost-benefit analysis. Yet research often misprices this value at zero or equal to market wages. New evidence from Kenya suggests a practical fix: value unpa...