Institutions & Political Economy

Chris Blattman on how crime takes over cities

How does organised crime take over a city – and can mayors act before it does?

Christopher Blattman

Published

28.04.26

How does evidence diffuse through organisations?

Sharing research evidence with senior rather than junior staff significantly raises the chance it spreads through an organisation, but shifting peer beliefs about the evidence has no clear effect.

Institutions & Political Economy

Mahvish Shaukat Andreas Stegmann Mattie Toma

Published

29.04.26

Land reform: Lessons from Rwanda’s success

What does it actually take to reform land at scale?

Institutions & Political Economy

Thierry Hoza Ngoga Oliver Hanney Kurtis Lockhart

Published

21.04.26

Electing women improves healthcare for female constituents, but can trigger a domestic violence backlash

Female politicians in India expand reproductive healthcare, but spousal conflict over number of sons can turn contraceptive gains into domestic violence.

Institutions & Political Economy

S Anukriti Bilge Erten Priya Mukherjee

Published

28.04.26

Can cash and therapy work in conflict settings?

A randomised evaluation of a cash and psychological intervention in Ethiopia shows that the joint intervention is needed to improve both mental health and economic outcomes, but the effectiveness of the combined intervention is attenuated by active c...

Institutions & Political Economy

Melissa Hidrobo Harold Alderman Negussie Deyessa Daniel Gilligan Parthu Kalva Jessica Leight Michael Mulford Heleene Tambet

Published

15.04.26

How coca eradication undermined development in Colombia

Destroying illicit crops at the source is meant to weaken criminal economies and create space for development. Evidence from Colombia's aerial glyphosate programme tells a different story: eradication triggered income shocks that pulled children out ...

Institutions & Political Economy

Daniela Horta Sáenz Anderson Tami-Patiño

Published

23.04.26

The cocaine shock that spread through global trade

Cocaine moves through the same global trade networks as legal goods, with violence rising where criminal groups fight over ports and other chokepoints.

Institutions & Political Economy

Gianmarco Daniele Adam Soliman Juan F. Vargas

Published

23.04.26

The long shadow of British rule: India's colonial legacy

Drawing on nearly 250 years of Indian colonial history, new research examines how direct British rule and landlord-based land tenure shaped access to schools, health centres, roads, and agricultural productivity across Indian districts. Updated analy...

Institutions & Political Economy

Lakshmi Iyer

Published

01.04.26

Military cooperation across borders reduced violence in the Sahel

Formal military cooperation between neighbouring states can reduce jihadist violence in border regions, as shown by causal evidence from the G5 Sahel Joint Force, which allowed armies to conduct joint operations and share intelligence across borders...

Institutions & Political Economy

Marion Richard Oliver Vanden Eynde

Published

02.04.26