Public Economics
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Improving state effectiveness through bureaucrat assignment: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Optimising the assignment of tax collectors significantly increases tax revenue and compliance at little or no added cost
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Pooled procurement of drugs in low- and middle-income countries can lower prices and improve access
Centralised procurement by the public sector leads to lower drug prices, but the price reduction is smaller when the supply side is more concentrated
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Market power and in-kind transfers: Evidence from Mexico
In settings with market power, providing goods directly can generate larger consumer surplus gains than cash and vouchers because of price effects
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Getting bang for your buck on education spending: Evidence from Tanzania
Interventions aimed at alleviating multiple constraints are often needed to achieve the desired impact
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Training effective altruism: Experimental evidence from Pakistan
An experiment in Pakistan finds that training decision makers in the benefits of empathy cultivates prosocial behaviour in the lab and the field
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How cash transfers can have negative impact on non-beneficiaries: Evidence from Philippines
Cash transfers raised food prices and increased stunting among children from ineligible households in remote and poor areas
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How developing countries can boost their property tax revenues: Evidence from Mexico City
Increasing property taxes can boost revenues for developing countries, but enforcement may threaten the welfare of liquidity-constrained households
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Raising money for the state: Lessons on reducing tax evasion from Chile and Ecuador
Value-added tax (VAT) can facilitate tax enforcement by generating paper trails on transactions between firms
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Implementing poverty-reduction interventions at scale: Challenges and considerations
Programmes aimed at alleviating poverty must be designed in cost-effective ways before they can be used by government as viable public policy at scale