Jam-barrel politics: Road construction and legislative behaviour in Colombia The Colombian government used roads as a token of exchange for legislative support, sparking debates about the proper handling of public resources Institutions & Political Economy Leonardo Bonilla Juan S. Morales Published 02.05.22
Corruption and firms: Evidence from Brazil Randomised anti-corruption audits in Brazil yield positive economic outcomes for local firms and businesses Firms Emanuele Colonnelli Mounu Prem Published 16.02.22
Do voters hold politicians accountable for vote-buying? When voters receive payments, politicians are given greater leniency, and in turn steal more Institutions & Political Economy Jessica Leight Dana Foarta Rohini Pande Laura Ralston Published 20.10.21
Digging for dirt: Rent-seeking among elected politicians in India’s mineral belt Increases in local mineral wealth raise both the likelihood of criminally charged politicians entering office and asset accumulation among incumbents Institutions & Political Economy Sam Asher Paul Novosad Published 16.11.20
Social ties and ‘hometown favouritism’ towards local officials in China Hometown auditors report lower suspicious expenditures, implying that social ties are associated with greater leniency Institutions & Political Economy Raymond Fisman Yongxiang Wang Jian Chu Songtao Tan Published 12.06.20
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
Balancing corruption and exclusion: Incorporating India’s Aadhaar into public food distribution Fighting corruption with India's new national ID system has cost some low-income households their benefits in the process Social Protection Karthik Muralidharan Paul Niehaus Sandip Sukhtankar Published 17.04.20
The power of biometric identification for development The technology can reduce leakages in programmes, increase access to public programmes and market services, and improve the delivery of healthcare Technology & Innovation Thomas Bossuroy Clara Delavallade Vincent Pons Vestal McIntyre Published 09.12.19
Would developing countries be safer if governments listened to business owners more? Participation in drafting regulation appears to make firms more willing to see government as a legitimate regulatory authority Firms Edmund Malesky Markus Taussig Published 03.07.19
