Can laws change attitudes and behaviours around child marriage in the absence of strict enforcement? Experimental evidence from Bangladesh A video experiment uncovers the potential pitfalls of relying on legal reforms alone to reduce female early marriage in low-income countries Institutions & Political Economy Amrit Amirapu M Niaz Asadullah Zaki Wahhaj Published 08.03.21
Informality and the effects of trade in developing countries What are the effects of trade amidst a large informal sector? New research studies a model tightly connected to data on firms and workers in Brazil Firms Rafael Dix-Carneiro Pinelopi Goldberg Costas Meghir Gabriel Ulyssea Published 05.03.21
In-kind transfers as insurance: Evidence from India While academics and policymakers prefer unconditional cash transfer to the poor, they value in-kind transfers that protect against price fluctuations Social Protection Lucie Gadenne Sam Norris Monica Singhal Sandip Sukhtankar Published 01.03.21
'Til dowry do us part: Bargaining and violence in the Indian marriage market Policy crackdowns on dowries can reduce their prevalence, but with unintended impacts on women’s decision-making power and domestic violence Institutions & Political Economy Rossella Calvi Ajinkya Keskar Published 26.02.21
The value of job displacement insurance programmes in developing countries: Evidence from Brazil Income support for laid-off formal workers can be beneficial even in countries with high informality, but how the benefits are disbursed matters Social Protection Francois Gerard Joana Naritomi Published 22.02.21
High informal employment and disincentives: The anatomy of behavioural responses to social assistance in Uruguay CCT programmes in developing countries may generate disincentives to registered employment, but the efficiency consequences can be relatively small Social Protection Marcelo Bergolo Guillermo Cruces Published 19.02.21
How women’s social networks vary with wealth and status: Evidence from India Isolation is common amongst women living in contexts with restrictive gender norms but varies across socioeconomic groups Institutions & Political Economy Alison Andrew Orazio Attanasio Britta Augsburg Jere Behrman Monimalika Day Pamela Jervis Costas Meghir Angus Phimister Published 15.02.21
The cost of power: Electricity pricing and firm output in India Subsidies of household electricity prices in India come at the expense of firms, reducing both growth and output Energy & Environment Ama Baafra Abeberese Published 12.02.21
Encouraging agricultural technology adoption through autonomy: Evidence from Mexico While farming practices were not initially enhanced, low-income farmers in Mexico with autonomy substantially improved two years post-intervention Agriculture Carolina Corral Xavier Giné Aprajit Mahajan Enrique Seira Published 08.02.21