Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 23hRising ocean acidity cuts small-scale fish catches, pushes up seafood prices and worsens women's nutrition, increasing neonatal mortality in coastal communities of low- and middle-income countries by around 5% for each 0.01-unit fall in pH. 052
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Global evidence from 2,041 cities linked to 33,262 mines producing 23 minerals shows that resource booms reshape local employment patterns far more than they drive urbanisation. 031
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 09/10/2026This week we featured research on interest rates, health insurance, social welfare and more! You can read a summary of this work here: voxdev.org/topic/week-d...voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 09/10/2026This week we featured research on interest rates, health insurance, social welfare and more! 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 08/10/2026When Colombia shut down its largest health insurer, mortality rose not only among its enrolees but also among patients who were never enrolled with it. The reason is that incumbent insurers reduced the number of hospitals, clinics, and doctors their patients could visit. 021
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 08/10/2026In 2016, the UN doubled the cash it paid Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan, and 363,000 people went home in the middle of the fighting season. New research finds that policy-induced return reduced insurgent violence but made it deadlier. 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 07/10/2026"We can't draw the same conclusions from one nice, beautifully done trial as we can from an accumulated mountain of evidence, and so we should just be conscious of this." Chris Cotton on VoxDevTalks today: 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Experiments in Uganda reveal that employers and workers prefer to share income through paid work rather than cash, even when the work produces nothing, suggesting that some overstaffing reflects social support rather than inefficiency. 032
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 07/10/2026🆕 Evidence-based policy: Why one good trial isn't enough 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks, Chris Cotton (Queen's University) discusses why one good study is not enough for confident policymaking, and how a new four-level evidence scale helps: voxdev.org/topic/method... 022
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Nepal’s civil service serves political parties more than it serves the public, and is a first-order constraint on growth. The new government has a rare opportunity to change this, but it will only work if reformers treat de-politicisation as a political project, not a technical one. 042
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 06/10/2026A lab experiment in Côte d’Ivoire finds that making applications for cash support public reduced unsuccessful claims but also deterred more than one in four eligible participants. 132
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Interest rates paid by households and firms move much less with monetary policy rates in poorer countries than in richer ones, and for households in the poorest countries, they tend to move in the opposite direction. 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 02/10/2026A paper-and-pencil-based individualised self-learning programme in Dhaka's disadvantaged communities made children markedly faster and more accurate at math problem solving, with effects still visible years later. 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 30/09/2026📢 Our new VoxDevLit on the Political Economy of Public Service Delivery is out now! In this VoxDevLit, Senior Editor Claudio Ferraz (@ubcvse.bsky.social) reviews the evidence on the political economy of delivering public services. Read & download here: voxdev.org/voxdevlit/po... 144
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Why do politicians steer public contracts to party loyalists, and how do they get professional bureaucrats to go along? Evidence from Ghana, India, and Indonesia shows that merit-based hiring is only the first step in tackling corruption in public procurement. 012
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Thousands die each year waiting for an organ transplant. In Tunisia, one expert-led classroom session tripled student donor registrations. 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 28/09/2026In Pakistan, frontline bureaucrats fund public services – from food banks to flood relief – out of their own pockets, spending up to 15% of their income on an informal system financed in part by the bribes citizens are forced to pay. Read today's article to learn more: 041
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Local officials in China work harder on air quality when the target is doomed to fail, but relax their efforts when it is secured early, revealing how minimum standards shape bureaucratic effort when they are also judged on economic growth. 042
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Evidence from China suggests that big tech investment helps AI startups innovate by easing access to data, with implications for competition. 032
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 18/09/2026In Ethiopia, community leaders tasked with selection of beneficiaries for social assistance prioritised coverage over transfer size when budgets were cut, while discretion allowed them to reach poor and conflict-affected households. 012
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 18/09/2026This week we featured research on AI, e-courts, rural migration, targeting and more! You can read a summary of this work here: voxdev.org/topic/week-development-e…voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 18/09/2026This week we featured research on AI, e-courts, rural migration, targeting and more! 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 17/09/2026We are live! Join to learn about the evidence base on agricultural policies for growth: www.youtube.com/live/akZ-j6y...youtube.comAgricultural Policies for Growth | A VoxDevLit LaunchYouTube video by VoxDev 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 17/09/2026📢 Our new VoxDevLit on Agricultural Policies for Growth is out now! In this VoxDevLit, Senior Editors Tasso Adamopoulos (York University) & Diego Restuccia (@econuoft.bsky.social) review agricultural policies for growth. Read & download here: voxdev.org/voxdevlit/ag... 122
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 15/09/2026📢Public services in low- and middle-income countries have remained low quality for decades In this VoxDevLit launch event on September 30th, Claudio Ferraz will review the evidence on the political economy of delivering public services Register➡️https://ow.ly/KYJg50ZLZBO 065
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Indonesia's E-Court reform reduced case duration by around 15% without evidence of deterioration in observable decision quality. 021
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 11/09/2026When relatives answer on someone else’s behalf, men’s earnings are reported too low. In Mexico, this makes the measured gender wage gap 25% narrower. 022
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 11/09/2026This week we featured research on African startups, mining, AI, lockdowns and more! You can read a summary of this work here: voxdev.org/topic/week-development-e…voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 11/09/2026This week we featured research on African startups, mining, AI, lockdowns and more! 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Africa’s startup ecosystem is small but growing fast. Researchers built a new dataset to study who starts these firms, what capital they want, and who finances them. 061
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 09/09/2026"If data are collected using public money, then it should be used as a public resource, and it should be used to solve whatever problems need to be solved across the city." Hugh Cole on VoxDevTalks today: 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Chile’s staggered lockdowns raised helpline calls and shelter use, but not police reports. Cash transfers mitigated the effect. 021
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 09/09/2026🆕 Cape Town's day zero: How a water crisis built a data-driven city 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks, Hugh Cole (City of Cape Town) discusses Cape Town's day zero water crisis, the data-driven transformation it sparked, and lessons for cities: ow.ly/XcHI50ZL9j8 042
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 08/09/2026In an Ethiopian business plan competition, judges voted less for strong female candidates over the course of repeated assessments, but a simple reminder of the organisation’s commitment to equal opportunity offset this decline. 032
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Whether a new mine raises or lowers a country's risk of violence depends not only on the mine itself, but on the country's entire ethnic and mining geography. Results for Sierra Leone and sub-Saharan Africa suggests that some deposits can be mined for peace. 031
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 04/09/2026In Chile, elite universities reproduce privilege, but for outsiders who get in, they also open a real path to the very top across generations. 012
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 03/09/2026In Uganda, winning government contracts raises firms' total sales, but largely by reallocating supply away from private customers rather than generating net new business, with no gains in productivity or wages. 263
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 02/09/2026"The growth did not come mainly from building more capital. It came mainly from using labour and existing resources much more efficiently." Kaiji Chen on VoxDevTalks today: 043
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 02/09/2026📢Agricultural Policies for Growth Join us for this VoxDevLit launch event on September 17th with Tasso Adamopoulos, Diego Restuccia, Julieta Caunedo, @kevindonovan.bsky.social, @mushfiq-econ.bsky.social, Jacob Moscona, Ishan Nath & Karthik Sastry. Register➡️ cepr-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 033
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 02/09/2026New research on Kenya finds that cash transfers increase how much very poor households in rural areas spend on food. The response is larger than most previous studies have found, yet the increase is smaller than conventional 'correlational' methods would suggest. Read today's article to learn more: 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 01/09/2026New research using hundreds of administrative reforms worldwide shows that cities that become regional capitals grow faster, especially where political status and market access reinforce one another. 021
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 01/09/2026🆕 Can countries cut air pollution without hurting economic growth? Today on Economics Unpacked, Anant Sudarshan (@warwickecon.bsky.social) & @teevrat.bsky.social (@gpsucsd.bsky.social) discuss the economic consequences of air pollution: www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGZ...youtube.comCan countries cut air pollution without hurting economic growth?YouTube video by VoxDev 122
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Pairing peer-led nutrition behaviour-change groups with ongoing cash transfers substantially improved children's diets and development, but meaningful reductions in stunting required combining cash with a larger one-time livelihoods grant. 022
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 28/08/2026This week we featured research on AI, cash transfers, urban labour markets and more! You can read a summary of this work here: voxdev.org/topic/week-development-e…voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 28/08/2026This week we featured research on AI, cash transfers, urban labour markets and more! 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Digital tools like apps and online platforms are often promoted as a way to expand women's economic opportunities, but access alone rarely translates into lasting engagement or economic gains. Read today's article to learn more: 022
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Political polarisation is fundamentally a relational problem. In this week's episode of Economics Unpacked, Cesi Cruz and @hlarreguy.bsky.social outline polarisation in various contexts. Watch the full episode below👇 032
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 26/08/2026🆕 Caste, race, and power: The barriers to political inclusion 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks, Amit Ahuja (UC Santa Barbara) discusses why subaltern groups in the Global South struggle for political power, and why gains are being reversed: ow.ly/XzBV50ZFuZb 032
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 25/08/2026A light-touch training programme that helped low-skilled workers in Senegal act more conscientiously boosted their job retention and earnings. 021
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 25/08/2026🆕 Why is political polarisation rising – and can we stop it? 📢 Today on Economics Unpacked, Cesi Cruz (@umich.edu) & @hlarreguy.bsky.social (ITAM) discuss the causes and consequences of political polarisation, and how to reverse it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2v0...youtube.comWhy is political polarisation rising – and can we stop it?YouTube video by VoxDev 044
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 24/08/2026In Lebanon, being randomly assigned a female academic advisor makes women hold more egalitarian gender views decades later, while pushing men towards more conservative ones – widening the gender divide, especially in male-dominated fields and among religious students. 032
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 21/08/2026This week we featured research on index-based insurance, information access, carbon markets and more! You can read a summary of this work here: voxdev.org/topic/week-development-e…voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 21/08/2026This week we featured research on index-based insurance, information access, carbon markets and more! 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 21/08/2026In villages hit hardest by Pakistan’s 2005 earthquake, a strong relationship between poverty and mental health persisted well after the disaster, while no such relationship existed in less-affected communities. 011
Reposted by Emaan SiddiqueVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Can community-provided childcare empower more women to work? In this week's episode of Economics Unpacked, Rachel Health discusses recent promising evidence on this bottom-up approach. 011