S6 Ep2: Rethinking evidence in development economics
Many development economists would argue that the most important innovation of
the last two decades has been a commitment to use only rigorous evidence for
policy, and usually what they mean is evidence generated by RCTs. But are
systematic reviews of the results a useful guide to policy? And should development
economics continue to be focusing so much on the programmes that flow from RCT-
driven research? Lant Pritchett of LSE talks to Tim Phillips about the nature of
“rigorous” evidence in development economics, and the future of the discipline itself.
Read the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/rethinking-evidence-and-refocusing-growth-development-economics
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28:43
S6 Ep1: How does internet connectivity impact developing economies?
For more than 30 years, optimists about technology have been telling us that the
internet is transforming our economies. What is the evidence that this has happened,
or is happening, in low- or middle-income countries? And if the promise has not been
fulfilled, why not? Lin Tian is one of the authors of a new paper that examines the
evidence so far. She talks to Tim Phillips about what the research is telling us.
Read the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/how-does-internet-connectivity-impact-developing-economies
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23:06
S4 Ep53: The role of evidence at development finance institutions
Chris Woodruff has pioneered academic research into businesses, large and small, in low-income countries, He is also a non-executive Director of British International Investment (BII), a development finance institution and impact investor that partners with more than 1,500 businesses in emerging economies, with assets of £8.1 billion. Chris talks to Tim Phillips about what he has learned from his association with BII into how research can inform policy and investment – and whether economists worry too much about external validity.
Read the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/firms/role-evidence-development-finance-institutions
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29:42
S5 Ep2: Development Dialogues: How can emerging economies break free from the sidelines of global trade?
In the second episode of the collaboration between Yale’s Economic Growth Center
and VoxDev, Catherine Cheney speaks to Amit Khandelwal of the Yale Jackson
School of Public Affairs, Isabela Manelici of the London School of Economics, and
Arvind Subramanian of the Peterson Institute, As globalisation faces new headwinds,
they discuss the outlook for those countries that didn’t reap the trade benefits from
the spread of globalisation, and the new challenges for LMICs.
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35:32
S4 Ep52: Why do protests matter?
When citizens demand change and feel they are not being heard, they protest on the
streets. Thanks to social media and TV coverage, we see protests every night on the
news. But has the frequency or the character of protests changed? Who is
protesting, and what makes them take to the streets? David Yang and Noam
Yuchtman are two of the authors of a new review of the literature on protests. They
tell Tim Phillips what they discovered.
Read the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/why-do-protests-matter-exploring-their-causes-and-lasting