In the second episode of Development Dialogues, our new series with VoxDevTalks, host Catherine Cheney is joined by Amit Khandelwal, Isabela Manelici and Arvind Subramanian to discuss the challenges that developing countries encounter when opening their markets to trade, the effectiveness of industrial policy and the implications of Trump's preside…

Financing climate adaptation: What works, what doesn’t, and can carbon credits help to bridge the gap? In first episode of Development Dialogues, our new series with VoxDevTalks, host Catherine Cheney is joined by Namrata Kala, Rohini Pande, and Catherine Wolfram to discuss research on climate adaptation measures in lower-income countries, how to p…

Rising sea levels are already creating intersecting crises in Bangladesh, often described as “the ground zero of climate change." How can social scientists aid in the response? When economists Islamul Haque and Mushfiq Mobarak began to examine the economic impact of rising salinity levels in coastal areas of Bangladesh, they expected to focus on la…

In Latin America, inequality has persisted despite major structural economic and social change. In order to help develop effective policies for a more equitable society, a new research initiative explores the causes and consequences of inequality within the Latin American context. In this episode of Voices in Development, three leading social scien…

Although women around the world have joined the labor market in rising numbers over the past several decades, the percentage of women in the labor force in India has declined, even while their education levels have risen and the country has experienced rapid economic growth. In this episode of Voices in Development, Farzana Afridi, a professor of E…

​Much of the research on economic development in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, is led by researchers who are outsiders to the regions they study. While this outsider perspective can help them see elements of the social or economic structure less visible to those who are deeply embedded in local institutions, partnerships…

Despite the widespread acknowledgment of the potential for digital technologies to accelerate inclusive economic growth, not everyone has access to the mobile devices, internet connectivity, and affordable data they need to participate meaningfully in the digital economy. This digital divide, which includes gender specific barriers, prevents billio…

The vast majority of climate financing is directed towards mitigating, reducing, or preventing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is a vital need for climate financing aimed at adaptation, protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people most affected by climate change. Low-income countries are disproportionately suffering from climate brea…

Today’s environmental crises are affecting lower-income countries – and within those countries, poor and marginalized communities – most of all. Policymakers in these countries are seeking new ways to balance trade-offs between the economic growth that can provide citizens with income-generating opportunities, and the harmful emissions that industr…

How do social norms – the set of informal rules, beliefs, and biases that govern behavior in a given group or society ­– affect the development process? While positive norms can support and accelerate development, harmful ones like slavery or female genital cutting can constrain it, exacerbating poverty and inequality. While social change in many h…

Almost 60 years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act in the US, race continues to determine patterns of income, wealth and opportunity. For Black Americans in particular, the predominance of exploitative practices such as sharecropping following the slave trade has enabled inequality to persist through a number of generations. In order to deve…

Recent research has revealed how often life outcomes such as income, health, and wellbeing are set in the first few years of life. Parenting practices can foster positive gains in childhood development, but they may not be widely known or prioritized among poorer and marginalized groups in society, and millions of children around the world continue…

The upcoming 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF with its focus on “reshaping development for a new era” is an important reminder that systemic change does not happen overnight. Strong economic development requires adequate infrastructure, and individual access to markets and opportunities. However, many communities face social…

Every year on January 26th, India celebrates Republic Day – the day the Indian Constitution went into effect in 1950, after three years of drafting and debate by independent India’s first Constituent Assembly. The Indian constitution outlined a vision of radical transformation. It established equality before the law for men and women – granting wom…

The global food system has been knocked off its axis by conflict, Covid-19, and climate change. Food prices have soared to record heights around the world, and lower-income countries face food shortages. As an economist with a focus on agricultural market research, Lauren Falcao Bergquist, Assistant Professor of Economics and Global Affairs and EGC…

Once embraced as a pathway to global prosperity, globalization has come under attack in recent years. International trade has decreased inequality between nations, but at the cost of sometimes increasing inequalities within nations. As countries try to deal with the unequal benefits of trade by turning to protectionism, how can global coordination …

As African nations take on new economic challenges and seek new development opportunities, their success will rely in part on an essential, often overlooked resource: African economists. To help provide future economists with the training they will need and to support African students in pursuing policy-relevant economic research as a process of ‘s…