VoxDev

📢 Our new VoxDevLit on the Political Economy of Public Service Delivery is out now! In this VoxDevLit, Senior Editor Claudio Ferraz (@ubcvse.bsky.social) reviews the evidence on the political economy of delivering public services. Read & download here: voxdev.org/voxdevlit/po...

ow.lyHow does progressive taxation shape revenue and incidence in low-capacity states?In a city-wide experiment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a progressive property tax raised 56% more revenue than a proportional one with the same average liability. But the tax became progressive in practice only once the government targeted enforcement at the most valuable properties.

2h

In a city-wide experiment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a progressive property tax raised 56% more revenue than a proportional one with the same average liability. But the tax became progressive in practice only once the government targeted enforcement at the most valuable properties.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 How does progressive taxation shape revenue and incidence in low-capacity states? Today on VoxDev w/ Gabriel Tourek, Arthur Laroche, Augustin Bergeron, Joana Naritomi (LSE School of Public Policy), Jonathan Weigel (UC Berkeley Haas) & Marina Mavungu Ngoma: https://ow.ly/3AFC5101fwx

3h

🆕 The State of International Development On November 4th at 2pm UK time, Rohini Pande will discuss the state of international development, based on the introductory chapter of the Handbook of Development Economics, Volume 6, on which she is a co-editor. https://ow.ly/GOcB5101n7x

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyHow does progressive taxation shape revenue and incidence in low-capacity states?In a city-wide experiment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a progressive property tax raised 56% more revenue than a proportional one with the same average liability. But the tax became progressive in practice only once the government targeted enforcement at the most valuable properties.

7h

🆕 How does progressive taxation shape revenue and incidence in low-capacity states? Today on VoxDev w/ Gabriel Tourek, Arthur Laroche, Augustin Bergeron, Joana Naritomi (LSE School of Public Policy), Jonathan Weigel (UC Berkeley Haas) & Marina Mavungu Ngoma: https://ow.ly/3AFC5101fwx

ow.lyHow does progressive taxation shape revenue and incidence in low-capacity states?In a city-wide experiment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a progressive property tax raised 56% more revenue than a proportional one with the same average liability. But the tax became progressive in practice only once the government targeted enforcement at the most valuable properties.

7h

🆕 How does progressive taxation shape revenue and incidence in low-capacity states? Today on VoxDev w/ Gabriel Tourek, Arthur Laroche, Augustin Bergeron, Joana Naritomi (LSE School of Public Policy), Jonathan Weigel (UC Berkeley Haas) & Marina Mavungu Ngoma: https://ow.ly/3AFC5101fwx

ow.lyWhen does irrigation reduce migration pressure? Evidence from West AfricaDrought makes rural households in West Africa more likely to consider moving, and irrigation only helps them stay when droughts are prolonged, mainly for the richest households.

Drought makes rural households in West Africa more likely to consider moving, and irrigation only helps them stay when droughts are prolonged, mainly for the richest households.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 When does irrigation reduce migration pressure? Evidence from West Africa Today on VoxDev w/ Alix Debray (International Secretariat for Water), Lucile Dehouck (King Center on Global Development), Katrin Millock (CNRS) & Ilse Ruyssen (Ghent University): https://ow.ly/uYuw5100SHt

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyWhen does irrigation reduce migration pressure? Evidence from West AfricaDrought makes rural households in West Africa more likely to consider moving, and irrigation only helps them stay when droughts are prolonged, mainly for the richest households.

🆕 When does irrigation reduce migration pressure? Evidence from West Africa Today on VoxDev w/ Alix Debray (International Secretariat for Water), Lucile Dehouck (King Center on Global Development), Katrin Millock (CNRS) & Ilse Ruyssen (Ghent University): https://ow.ly/uYuw5100SHt

VoxDev reposted

Noam Angrist

@noamangrist.bsky.social

voxdev.orgImplementation science in education: Scaling what worksAround 70% of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple text, even though cost-effective approaches such as structured pedagogy and teaching at the right level are well evidenc...

📣 Tune into a new podcast summarizing key points from our @science.org article on implementation science with the wonderful @voxdev.bsky.social team @talknormal.co.uk @olihanney.bsky.social voxdev.org/topic/educat...

ow.lyWhen does irrigation reduce migration pressure? Evidence from West AfricaDrought makes rural households in West Africa more likely to consider moving, and irrigation only helps them stay when droughts are prolonged, mainly for the richest households.

🆕 When does irrigation reduce migration pressure? Evidence from West Africa Today on VoxDev w/ Alix Debray (International Secretariat for Water), Lucile Dehouck (King Center on Global Development), Katrin Millock (CNRS) & Ilse Ruyssen (Ghent University): https://ow.ly/uYuw5100SHt

ow.lyMaking tax collection cheaper could unlock growthLow-income countries collect as little as $30 in tax for every dollar they spend collecting it. High-income countries collect $270. New research suggests that improving the efficiency of how taxes are collected could significantly lift the GDP of low-income countries.

Low-income countries collect as little as $30 in tax for every dollar they spend collecting it. High-income countries collect $270. New research suggests that improving the efficiency of how taxes are collected could significantly lift the GDP of low-income countries.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Making tax collection cheaper could unlock growth Today on VoxDev w/ Radhika Goyal (IMF), Anders Jensen (Harvard Kennedy School), David Lagakos (Boston University), Abdoulaye Ndiaye (New York University) & Yuntian Zhao: https://ow.ly/mTVh5100o2P

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyMaking tax collection cheaper could unlock growthLow-income countries collect as little as $30 in tax for every dollar they spend collecting it. High-income countries collect $270. New research suggests that improving the efficiency of how taxes are collected could significantly lift the GDP of low-income countries.

🆕 Making tax collection cheaper could unlock growth Today on VoxDev w/ Radhika Goyal (IMF), Anders Jensen (Harvard Kennedy School), David Lagakos (Boston University), Abdoulaye Ndiaye (New York University) & Yuntian Zhao: https://ow.ly/mTVh5100o2P

voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 23/10/2026This week we featured research on job search, public procurement, tax collection and more!

This week we featured research on job search, public procurement, tax collection and more! You can read a summary of this work here: https://voxdev.org/topic/week-development-economics-voxdev-23102026

ow.lyMaking tax collection cheaper could unlock growthLow-income countries collect as little as $30 in tax for every dollar they spend collecting it. High-income countries collect $270. New research suggests that improving the efficiency of how taxes are collected could significantly lift the GDP of low-income countries.

🆕 Making tax collection cheaper could unlock growth Today on VoxDev w/ Radhika Goyal (IMF), Anders Jensen (Harvard Kennedy School), David Lagakos (Boston University), Abdoulaye Ndiaye (New York University) & Yuntian Zhao: https://ow.ly/mTVh5100o2P

ow.lyHow digital monitoring gets tractors to the most productive farmsIn tractor rental markets, owners who cannot observe their operators keep machines close to home, leaving farmers in more productive, remote areas without access to mechanisation. Evidence from around 1,200 GPS-tracked tractors in Kenya shows that digital monitoring expands their reach, raises vegetation growth on serviced fields, and could lift aggregate output by around 2% – at a fraction of the cost of fuel subsidies.

"Owners prefer to keep their tractors close to home, even if there are better opportunities further away, and that leads to misallocation.” Sophie Nottmeyer on VoxDevTalks today:

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 How digital monitoring gets tractors to the most productive farms 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks w/ Growth Research Platform, Sophie Nottmeyer (Banco de México) discusses how GPS tracking sends Kenya’s tractors to more productive farms, expanding their range by 80%: https://ow.ly/kC7p51000I5

ow.lyHow centralised procurement cuts drug prices and pharmaceutical marketingIn China, guaranteeing auction winners a fixed share of public hospital purchases cut generic drug prices by around 40% and led winning firms to spend less on marketing, showing that procurement design can curb costly competition for prescriptions where hidden payments are difficult to police.

In China, guaranteeing auction winners a fixed share of public hospital purchases cut generic drug prices by around 40% and led winning firms to spend less on marketing, showing that procurement design can curb costly competition for prescriptions where hidden payments are difficult to police.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 How centralised procurement cuts drug prices and pharmaceutical marketing Today on VoxDev, Chenyuan Liu (Tsinghua University), Yi Lu & Wanyu Yang (Dongbei University of Finance and Economics) discuss research in China: https://ow.ly/UoVj50ZZZkq

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyHow digital monitoring gets tractors to the most productive farmsIn tractor rental markets, owners who cannot observe their operators keep machines close to home, leaving farmers in more productive, remote areas without access to mechanisation. Evidence from around 1,200 GPS-tracked tractors in Kenya shows that digital monitoring expands their reach, raises vegetation growth on serviced fields, and could lift aggregate output by around 2% – at a fraction of the cost of fuel subsidies.

🆕 How digital monitoring gets tractors to the most productive farms 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks w/ Growth Research Platform, Sophie Nottmeyer (Banco de México) discusses how GPS tracking sends Kenya’s tractors to more productive farms, expanding their range by 80%: https://ow.ly/kC7p51000I5

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyHow centralised procurement cuts drug prices and pharmaceutical marketingIn China, guaranteeing auction winners a fixed share of public hospital purchases cut generic drug prices by around 40% and led winning firms to spend less on marketing, showing that procurement design can curb costly competition for prescriptions where hidden payments are difficult to police.

🆕 How centralised procurement cuts drug prices and pharmaceutical marketing Today on VoxDev, Chenyuan Liu (Tsinghua University), Yi Lu & Wanyu Yang (Dongbei University of Finance and Economics) discuss research in China: https://ow.ly/UoVj50ZZZkq

ow.lyHow digital monitoring gets tractors to the most productive farmsIn tractor rental markets, owners who cannot observe their operators keep machines close to home, leaving farmers in more productive, remote areas without access to mechanisation. Evidence from around 1,200 GPS-tracked tractors in Kenya shows that digital monitoring expands their reach, raises vegetation growth on serviced fields, and could lift aggregate output by around 2% – at a fraction of the cost of fuel subsidies.

🆕 How digital monitoring gets tractors to the most productive farms 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks w/ Growth Research Platform, Sophie Nottmeyer (Banco de México) discusses how GPS tracking sends Kenya’s tractors to more productive farms, expanding their range by 80%: https://ow.ly/kC7p51000I5

ow.lyHow centralised procurement cuts drug prices and pharmaceutical marketingIn China, guaranteeing auction winners a fixed share of public hospital purchases cut generic drug prices by around 40% and led winning firms to spend less on marketing, showing that procurement design can curb costly competition for prescriptions where hidden payments are difficult to police.

🆕 How centralised procurement cuts drug prices and pharmaceutical marketing Today on VoxDev, Chenyuan Liu (Tsinghua University), Yi Lu & Wanyu Yang (Dongbei University of Finance and Economics) discuss research in China: https://ow.ly/UoVj50ZZZkq

ow.lyCan correcting misconceptions about therapy help students seek care?Evidence from a survey experiment in Mexico shows that correcting misconceptions about therapy makes university students more likely to share counselling information with peers, while raising therapy use only among students who had recently used it.

Evidence from a survey experiment in Mexico shows that correcting misconceptions about therapy makes university students more likely to share counselling information with peers, while raising therapy use only among students who had recently used it.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Can correcting misconceptions about therapy help students seek care? Today on VoxDev w/ Alisher Batmanov, Idaliya Grigoryeva, Bruno Calderon-Hernandez (University of Michigan), Roberto Gonzalez-Tellez (Stanford Graduate School of Business) & Alejandro Guardiola Ramírez: https://ow.ly/E7m550ZZBmx

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyCan correcting misconceptions about therapy help students seek care?Evidence from a survey experiment in Mexico shows that correcting misconceptions about therapy makes university students more likely to share counselling information with peers, while raising therapy use only among students who had recently used it.

🆕 Can correcting misconceptions about therapy help students seek care? Today on VoxDev w/ Alisher Batmanov, Idaliya Grigoryeva, Bruno Calderon-Hernandez (University of Michigan), Roberto Gonzalez-Tellez (Stanford Graduate School of Business) & Alejandro Guardiola Ramírez: https://ow.ly/E7m550ZZBmx

🆕 Implementation science in education: Scaling what works 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks, Noam Angrist (What Works Hub for Global Education) discusses why implementing proven education interventions at scale is harder than finding them, and how a new framework can help: https://ow.ly/ePUc50ZZCz7

ow.lyCan correcting misconceptions about therapy help students seek care?Evidence from a survey experiment in Mexico shows that correcting misconceptions about therapy makes university students more likely to share counselling information with peers, while raising therapy use only among students who had recently used it.

🆕 Can correcting misconceptions about therapy help students seek care? Today on VoxDev w/ Alisher Batmanov, Idaliya Grigoryeva, Bruno Calderon-Hernandez (University of Michigan), Roberto Gonzalez-Tellez (Stanford Graduate School of Business) & Alejandro Guardiola Ramírez: https://ow.ly/E7m550ZZBmx

ow.lyWhen cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobsIn Ethiopia, subsidising vacancy-posting costs leads small and medium-sized enterprises to advertise publicly and create more white-collar positions, which they then struggle to fill.

In Ethiopia, subsidising vacancy-posting costs leads small and medium-sized enterprises to advertise publicly and create more white-collar positions, which they then struggle to fill.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 When cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobs Today on VoxDev, Lukas Hensel (Peking University), Tsegay Tekleselassie (Wellesley College) & Marc Witte (VU School of Business and Economics) outline research in Ethiopia: https://ow.ly/7Vr150ZZeB2

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyWhen cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobsIn Ethiopia, subsidising vacancy-posting costs leads small and medium-sized enterprises to advertise publicly and create more white-collar positions, which they then struggle to fill.

🆕 When cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobs Today on VoxDev, Lukas Hensel (Peking University), Tsegay Tekleselassie (Wellesley College) & Marc Witte (VU School of Business and Economics) outline research in Ethiopia: https://ow.ly/7Vr150ZZeB2

VoxDev reposted

Marc Witte

@marcjosefwitte.bsky.social

ow.lyWhen cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobsIn Ethiopia, subsidising vacancy-posting costs leads small and medium-sized enterprises to advertise publicly and create more white-collar positions, which they then struggle to fill.

Making job ads cheaper sounds like a straightforward way to help firms hire. Our experiment in Ethiopia suggests it's not quite that simple. @lukashenselecon.bsky.social, @tsegay-t.bsky.social, and I explain why in this short piece for VoxDev.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 When cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobs Today on VoxDev, Lukas Hensel (Peking University), Tsegay Tekleselassie (Wellesley College) & Marc Witte (VU School of Business and Economics) outline research in Ethiopia: https://ow.ly/7Vr150ZZeB2

ow.lyWhen cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobsIn Ethiopia, subsidising vacancy-posting costs leads small and medium-sized enterprises to advertise publicly and create more white-collar positions, which they then struggle to fill.

🆕 When cheaper job ads lead to harder-to-fill jobs Today on VoxDev, Lukas Hensel (Peking University), Tsegay Tekleselassie (Wellesley College) & Marc Witte (VU School of Business and Economics) outline research in Ethiopia: https://ow.ly/7Vr150ZZeB2

ow.lyDo loan officers discriminate against women-owned businesses?A field experiment in Ethiopia finds no evidence that loan officers discriminate against female business owners. Their decisions reflect the fact that once detailed information about the business is available, accounting for gender does not help identify which businesses will perform well. These findings suggest that gender equity need not come at a cost of financing less promising businesses.

A field experiment in Ethiopia finds no evidence that loan officers discriminate against female business owners. Their decisions reflect the fact that once detailed information about the business is available, accounting for gender does not help identify which businesses will perform well.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Do loan officers discriminate against women-owned businesses? Today on VoxDev, Ketki Sheth (University of Tennessee), Shanthi Manian (World Bank) & Shibiru Ayalew (Adama Science and Technology University) discuss evidence from Ethiopia: https://ow.ly/iizA50ZYPIL

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyDo loan officers discriminate against women-owned businesses?A field experiment in Ethiopia finds no evidence that loan officers discriminate against female business owners. Their decisions reflect the fact that once detailed information about the business is available, accounting for gender does not help identify which businesses will perform well. These findings suggest that gender equity need not come at a cost of financing less promising businesses.

🆕 Do loan officers discriminate against women-owned businesses? Today on VoxDev, Ketki Sheth (University of Tennessee), Shanthi Manian (World Bank) & Shibiru Ayalew (Adama Science and Technology University) discuss evidence from Ethiopia: https://ow.ly/iizA50ZYPIL

ow.lyDo loan officers discriminate against women-owned businesses?A field experiment in Ethiopia finds no evidence that loan officers discriminate against female business owners. Their decisions reflect the fact that once detailed information about the business is available, accounting for gender does not help identify which businesses will perform well. These findings suggest that gender equity need not come at a cost of financing less promising businesses.

🆕 Do loan officers discriminate against women-owned businesses? Today on VoxDev, Ketki Sheth (University of Tennessee), Shanthi Manian (World Bank) & Shibiru Ayalew (Adama Science and Technology University) discuss evidence from Ethiopia: https://ow.ly/iizA50ZYPIL

ow.lyPublic roads on private land: How land acquisition costs shape where cities should build roadsEvidence from 114 km of road upgrades in Kampala shows that the cost of acquiring land is decisive both for the net returns to urban road improvements and for where they are optimally built. When public funds are scarce, requiring full compensation to protect landowners need not raise welfare.

Evidence from 114 km of road upgrades in Kampala shows that the cost of acquiring land is decisive both for the net returns to urban road improvements and for where they are optimally built. When public funds are scarce, requiring full compensation to protect landowners need not raise welfare.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Public roads on private land: How land acquisition costs shape where cities should build roads Today on VoxDev, Jeanne Sorin (Goldman School of Public Policy) outlines evidence on the role of land acquisition costs in road improvements in Kampala: https://ow.ly/zXsj50ZYjHO

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyPublic roads on private land: How land acquisition costs shape where cities should build roadsEvidence from 114 km of road upgrades in Kampala shows that the cost of acquiring land is decisive both for the net returns to urban road improvements and for where they are optimally built. When public funds are scarce, requiring full compensation to protect landowners need not raise welfare.

🆕 Public roads on private land: How land acquisition costs shape where cities should build roads Today on VoxDev, Jeanne Sorin (Goldman School of Public Policy) outlines evidence on the role of land acquisition costs in road improvements in Kampala: https://ow.ly/zXsj50ZYjHO

voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 16/10/2026This week we featured research on ocean acidification, institutions, forest fires and more!

This week we featured research on ocean acidification, institutions, forest fires and more! You can read a summary of this work here: https://voxdev.org/topic/week-development-economics-voxdev-16102026

ow.lyPublic roads on private land: How land acquisition costs shape where cities should build roadsEvidence from 114 km of road upgrades in Kampala shows that the cost of acquiring land is decisive both for the net returns to urban road improvements and for where they are optimally built. When public funds are scarce, requiring full compensation to protect landowners need not raise welfare.

🆕 Public roads on private land: How land acquisition costs shape where cities should build roads Today on VoxDev, Jeanne Sorin (Goldman School of Public Policy) outlines evidence on the role of land acquisition costs in road improvements in Kampala: https://ow.ly/zXsj50ZYjHO

ow.lyTransmission losses drive electricity productivity gapsProductivity in the electricity sector of low-income countries is far closer to the global frontier than economy-wide productivity, and because power is a strong complement to other inputs, raising it to the frontier would lift GDP by less than 1.2% on average – evidence that electricity is not the weak link in development it is often assumed to be.

🆕 Transmission losses drive electricity productivity gaps 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks, Martin Shu (CUHK) discusses why electricity productivity is closer to the global frontier than expected, and raising it would lift GDP by under 1.2%: https://ow.ly/2WHi50ZXWwl Growth Research Platform

voxdev.orgWeak property rights and lax enforcement fuel tropical forest firesIndonesian firms burn more forest land when the fire spread risk falls on unclaimed land. Clearer property rights and credible penalties could cut fires by half.

🆕 Weak property rights and lax enforcement fuel tropical forest fires Today on VoxDev, Clare Balboni (LSE), Robin Burgess & Benjamin Olken (MIT) outline research on Indonesia: https://voxdev.org/topic/energy-environment/weak-property-rights-and-lax-enforcement-fuel-tropical-forest-fires

🆕 Critical minerals scramble: Turning a windfall into development 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks, Christopher Adam (ODID, University of Oxford) discusses why the critical minerals windfall may be short-lived, and how producer countries can capture its gains: https://ow.ly/Mr3N50ZXuI8

ow.lyHow to fund social insurance without pushing workers into informalityStronger collection of social insurance contributions in China reduced formal firm entry and shifted workers towards informal jobs.

🆕 How to fund social insurance without pushing workers into informality Today on VoxDev, Jin Feng (Fudan University), Yuting Li (Sichuan University) & Yu Liu outline research on China: https://ow.ly/vpUe50ZXtgo

ow.lyCan role models uplift marginalised communities?In Vietnam, a low-cost video intervention featuring successful entrepreneurs briefly raised ethnic minority farmers' belief in their own agency. However, it did not raise household incomes, and for households hit by natural disasters it may have made things worse.

In Vietnam, a low-cost video intervention featuring successful entrepreneurs briefly raised ethnic minority farmers' belief in their own agency. However, it did not raise household incomes, and for households hit by natural disasters it may have made things worse. Read today's article to learn more

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Can role models uplift marginalised communities? Today on VoxDev, Gaia Narciso (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin), Carol Newman & Finn Tarp (University of Copenhagen) outline research on Vietnam: https://ow.ly/rXWi50ZX5vU

ow.lyCan we detect when a country's institutions are about to change?Using AI to analyse 120 years of newspaper coverage produces a new index of uncertainty about a country's core institutions, and in the countries studied, nearly every major shift in democracy happened when this index was high. Because it detects slow-building uncertainty that other risk measures miss, the index could serve as an early warning of institutional fragility.

Using AI to analyse 120 years of newspaper coverage produces a new index of uncertainty about a country's core institutions, and in the countries studied, nearly every major shift in democracy happened when this index was high.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Can we detect when a country's institutions are about to change? Today on VoxDev w/ Michael Callen (LSE), Gregory Levy (Department of Economics, University of Oxford), Saipremnath Muthukumaran, Jonathan Weigel (UC Berkeley Haas) & Noam Yuchtman: https://ow.ly/GWU650ZX4CI

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyCan we detect when a country's institutions are about to change?Using AI to analyse 120 years of newspaper coverage produces a new index of uncertainty about a country's core institutions, and in the countries studied, nearly every major shift in democracy happened when this index was high. Because it detects slow-building uncertainty that other risk measures miss, the index could serve as an early warning of institutional fragility.

🆕 Can we detect when a country's institutions are about to change? Today on VoxDev w/ Michael Callen (LSE), Gregory Levy (Department of Economics, University of Oxford), Saipremnath Muthukumaran, Jonathan Weigel (UC Berkeley Haas) & Noam Yuchtman: https://ow.ly/GWU650ZX4CI

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyCan role models uplift marginalised communities?In Vietnam, a low-cost video intervention featuring successful entrepreneurs briefly raised ethnic minority farmers' belief in their own agency. However, it did not raise household incomes, and for households hit by natural disasters it may have made things worse.

🆕 Can role models uplift marginalised communities? Today on VoxDev, Gaia Narciso (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin), Carol Newman & Finn Tarp (University of Copenhagen) outline research on Vietnam: https://ow.ly/rXWi50ZX5vU

ow.lyCan role models uplift marginalised communities?In Vietnam, a low-cost video intervention featuring successful entrepreneurs briefly raised ethnic minority farmers' belief in their own agency. However, it did not raise household incomes, and for households hit by natural disasters it may have made things worse.

🆕 Can role models uplift marginalised communities? Today on VoxDev, Gaia Narciso (Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin), Carol Newman & Finn Tarp (University of Copenhagen) outline research on Vietnam: https://ow.ly/rXWi50ZX5vU

ow.lyCan we detect when a country's institutions are about to change?Using AI to analyse 120 years of newspaper coverage produces a new index of uncertainty about a country's core institutions, and in the countries studied, nearly every major shift in democracy happened when this index was high. Because it detects slow-building uncertainty that other risk measures miss, the index could serve as an early warning of institutional fragility.

🆕 Can we detect when a country's institutions are about to change? Today on VoxDev w/ Michael Callen (LSE), Gregory Levy (Department of Economics, University of Oxford), Saipremnath Muthukumaran, Jonathan Weigel (UC Berkeley Haas) & Noam Yuchtman: https://ow.ly/GWU650ZX4CI

ow.lyOcean acidification is raising newborn deaths in coastal communitiesRising ocean acidity cuts small-scale fish catches, pushes up seafood prices and worsens women's nutrition, increasing neonatal mortality in coastal communities of low- and middle-income countries by around 5% for each 0.01-unit fall in pH. Cutting emissions, limiting industrial fishing in vulnerable coastal waters, and targeting nutritional support at pregnant women in seafood-dependent communities could help protect these families.

Rising ocean acidity cuts small-scale fish catches, pushes up seafood prices and worsens women's nutrition, increasing neonatal mortality in coastal communities of low- and middle-income countries by around 5% for each 0.01-unit fall in pH.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Ocean acidification is raising newborn deaths in coastal communities Today on VoxDev, Alex Armand (Nova School of Business and Economics) & Ivan Kim Taveras (University of Navarra) discuss ocean acidification in LMICs: https://ow.ly/SwTN50ZWJzU

VoxDev reposted

ow.lyOcean acidification is raising newborn deaths in coastal communitiesRising ocean acidity cuts small-scale fish catches, pushes up seafood prices and worsens women's nutrition, increasing neonatal mortality in coastal communities of low- and middle-income countries by around 5% for each 0.01-unit fall in pH. Cutting emissions, limiting industrial fishing in vulnerable coastal waters, and targeting nutritional support at pregnant women in seafood-dependent communities could help protect these families.

🆕 Ocean acidification is raising newborn deaths in coastal communities Today on VoxDev, Alex Armand (Nova School of Business and Economics) & Ivan Kim Taveras (University of Navarra) discuss ocean acidification in LMICs: https://ow.ly/SwTN50ZWJzU

ow.lyOcean acidification is raising newborn deaths in coastal communitiesRising ocean acidity cuts small-scale fish catches, pushes up seafood prices and worsens women's nutrition, increasing neonatal mortality in coastal communities of low- and middle-income countries by around 5% for each 0.01-unit fall in pH. Cutting emissions, limiting industrial fishing in vulnerable coastal waters, and targeting nutritional support at pregnant women in seafood-dependent communities could help protect these families.

🆕 Ocean acidification is raising newborn deaths in coastal communities Today on VoxDev, Alex Armand (Nova School of Business and Economics) & Ivan Kim Taveras (University of Navarra) discuss ocean acidification in LMICs: https://ow.ly/SwTN50ZWJzU

voxdev.orgMining booms move workers from farms to services, not factoriesGlobal evidence from 2,041 cities linked to 33,262 mines producing 23 minerals shows that resource booms reshape local employment patterns far more than they drive urbanisation.

Global evidence from 2,041 cities linked to 33,262 mines producing 23 minerals shows that resource booms reshape local employment patterns far more than they drive urbanisation.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social

🆕 Mining booms move workers from farms to services, not factories Today on VoxDev, @qing-ucsb.bsky.social (Renmin University of China), @victoriawenxinx.bsky.social (Santa Clara University) & Wei You (Peking University) discuss global evidence on mining: voxdev.org/topic/labour...

VoxDev reposted

voxdev.orgMining booms move workers from farms to services, not factoriesGlobal evidence from 2,041 cities linked to 33,262 mines producing 23 minerals shows that resource booms reshape local employment patterns far more than they drive urbanisation.

🆕 Mining booms move workers from farms to services, not factories Today on VoxDev, @qing-ucsb.bsky.social (Renmin University of China), @victoriawenxinx.bsky.social (Santa Clara University) & Wei You (Peking University) discuss global evidence on mining: voxdev.org/topic/labour...

voxdev.orgThis week in development economics at VoxDev: 09/10/2026This week we featured research on interest rates, health insurance, social welfare and more!

This week we featured research on interest rates, health insurance, social welfare and more! You can read a summary of this work here: voxdev.org/topic/week-d...