Published on Let's Talk Development

Friday Roundup: Economists and Public Policy, Information Diffusers, Ebola, Human Capital and the Wealth of Nations, and Globalization's Downside

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Do economists care about influencing public policy? is a question asked by Robert Hansen on the 'Overcoming bias' blog. 
 
Abhijit Banerji, Arun Chandrasekhar, Esther Duflo, and Matthew Jackson have a new paper on a study of 43 Indian villages that tackles the subject of gossip and how to identify the village busybody, also known as the best information diffuser. This matters for microfinance and any product for which experts want local uptake or adoption.

Jim Kim and Paul Farmer have a op ed in The Washington Post on Ebola.

Human capital, the wealth of nations and productivity differences are explained in a new AEA Journal article by Manuelli & Seshadri. 
 
The Economist explains, "Why globalisation may not reduce inequality," in poor countries. 
 
In a Project Syndicate piece titled "Democracy in the 21st Century", Joe Stiglitz explains Piketty's analysis regarding ever-rising wealth disparities by suggesting that the increase in measured wealth does not correspond to an increase in productive capital.


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