The anatomy of a public health crisis: Household responses during the Zika epidemic in Brazil Pregnancy rates fell by almost 7% as a result of the public health information provided on the Zika epidemic by the Brazilian government Health Ildo Jose Lautharte Junior Imran Rasul Published 29.05.20
Can energy efficiency subsidies improve welfare in low-income countries? Evidence from Kenya says yes Energy-efficient stoves save USD 120 per year (300% returns), but as credit constraints prevent adoption, subsidies may be more effective than carbon taxes Energy & Environment Susanna B. Berkouwer Joshua T. Dean Published 25.05.20
Autonomy – not rules – may be a government’s best weapon in the fight against corruption Giving government procurement officers more leeway in decision-making over expenses could save billions Public Economics Katie Parry Oriana Bandiera Michael Best Adnan Khan Andrea Prat Published 22.05.20
Resources and conflict: The role of law enforcement and group competition The effect of illegal ‘resources’ on conflict depends on the country context, group competition, and the government’s capacity to enforce laws Institutions & Political Economy Kai Gehring Sarah Langlotz Published 18.05.20
How tax audits can open credit floodgates: Evidence from Ecuador Ecuador's efforts to increase corporate tax audits led to a welcome surprise: banks stepped up their lending efforts as confidence in firms rose Public Economics Rebecca De Simone Published 15.05.20
Measuring deprivation: Going beyond income poverty and accounting for premature mortality A year prematurely lost is as bad as a year spent in poverty. Aggregating these indices offers a more accurate insight into the progress of nations Methods & Measurement Jean-Marie Baland Guilhem Cassan Benoit Decerf Published 11.05.20
Providing information to empower women in agriculture: Evidence from Uganda Targeting women directly with relevant information in ways that are appealing increases their agency, access to resources, and achievements in farming Agriculture Bjorn Van Campenhout Els Lecoutere David Spielman Published 08.05.20
Buy as you need: Nutrition and food storage imperfections in Burkina Faso Creating village-level cooperatives to buy grain from outside sources and sell it locally reduced nutritional stress, especially among the young Agriculture Jeremie Gross Catherine Guirkinger Jean-Philippe Platteau Published 04.05.20
Market power versus supply chain regulations: Lessons from Bangladesh A ban on intermediary oil traders, intended to reduce their market power, backfired: prices rose 10% as wholesalers lost intermediary trade credit Firms Shahe Emran Dilip Mookherjee Forhad Shilpi M. Helal Uddin Published 01.05.20
