The impact of the steamship on global trade and development The arrival of the steamship benefitted some countries but not others, with the strength and inclusiveness of institutions playing a key role Trade Luigi Pascali Published 18.02.19
Costs and benefits of helping firms formalise in Malawi A cheap intervention increased firm registration but failed to impact tax registration, negating potential tax revenue Firms Francisco Campos Markus Goldstein David McKenzie Published 15.02.19
How global retailers increased household welfare in Mexico by reducing the cost of living Allowing foreign retailers to operate in Mexico leads substantial overall welfare gains, in spite of their impacts on local employment and income Firms David Atkin Benjamin Faber Marco Gonzalez-Navarro Published 14.02.19
How do family planning policies reshape the life of the Chinese elderly? A study finds that while family planning has either no effect or a slightly positive one on elderly Chinese parents’ physical health, it can be detrimental to their mental health Institutions & Political Economy Yi Chen Hanming Fang Published 11.02.19
(Un)ease of doing business: How congested courts hinder firm productivity Congestion in Indian courts of justice distorts firms’ organisation and sourcing decisions and lowers aggregate productivity Institutions & Political Economy Johannes Boehm Ezra Oberfield Published 07.02.19
Strategic default in the international coffee market Linking farmers to global markets could spur growth and reduce poverty, but if markets do not work well these gains cannot be realised Finance Arthur Blouin Rocco Macchiavello Published 04.02.19
How do domestic migrants impact local labour markets in developing countries? Low-skilled natives tend to be most affected by low-skilled migrants, but are high-skilled natives most affected by high-skilled migrants? Migration & Urbanisation Marieke Kleemans Jeremy Magruder Published 31.01.19
How to cast a wider tax net? Experimental evidence from Costa Rica A simple tax enforcement email aimed at non-filers offers a cost-effective solution for improving tax compliance Public Economics Anne Brockmeyer Spencer Smith Marco Hernandez Stewart Kettle Published 28.01.19
Optimising production: Industrial policies in networks A study finds that promoting upstream sectors to counter resource misallocation raises aggregate efficiency Macroeconomics & Growth Ernest Liu Published 25.01.19