Yesterday was the last of our series of posts by PhD students on the job market for this year, and so we thought we’d link them all in one place for future reference, as well as provide some details on submissions.
This year we received 35 submissions, which was 5 more than last year. These came from 16 women and 19 men at 31 different universities located in 11 countries – U.S., Portugal, Sweden, India, Canada, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Korea, and Germany. The overall quality was very good, and we ended up publishing 17 submissions, or roughly half. We thank everyone who submitted posts, and wish all candidates good luck on the job market. Here is the full set of posts this year:
1. Better Together: How does consumers’ search behavior affect firm agglomeration within cities? Guest post by Anna Vitali
2. Focal points of market access: how marketplaces shape rural development over 50 years: Guest post by Tillmann von Carnap
3. Curb Your (Wage) Enthusiasm: How Mentorship Can Shape Career Formation – Guest post by Livia Alfonsi
4. Can Text Messages Nudge Farmers into Adopting Smartphones for Agriculture? Guest post by R Sai Shiva Jayanth
5. Economists and traders have more to learn about trade: the role of information frictions in informal trade. Guest post by Eleanor Wiseman
6. Be prepared! The effect of information ahead of urban floods in Mozambique. Guest post by Stefan Leeffers
7. Dirty business: Illicit oil and indigenous firms in the Niger Delta: Guest post by Jonah Rexer
8. Switching for the win: School transfers and college admissions policies in Chile. Guest posy by Carolina Concha-Arriagada
9. Should the developing world restrict trade of dirty goods to protect the environment? Evidence from import restrictions on used vehicles in China: Guest post by Hui Zhou
10. What happens when we directly regulate informal labor in developing economies? Guest post by Shotaro Nakamura
11. Can school calendars improve education? Avoid the farming calendar. Guest Post by James Allen IV
12. Unintended water pollution externalities of latrine construction in India. Guest post by Kazuki Motohashi.
13. Sample Size Isn’t Everything: Why Social Learning Is Influential? Guest post by Hossein Alidaee
14. Learning to Detect Fake News: A Field Experiment to Inoculate Against Misinformation in India. Guest Post by Naman Garg
15. Integrating Refugee Children into Schools. Guest Post by Pia Schiling
16. Does Democratization Produce Responsive Leaders? Evidence from Staggered Democratic Appointments in Indonesia. Guest Post by Curtis Morrill
17. Richer and healthier: can cash transfers improve adolescent nutrition outcomes? Guest Post by Kritika Sen Chakraborty
Join the Conversation
Great article!
Great article WF, Indeed Kenya's potential lies in its own hands- we have so much going for us but until we can unlock the full potential of our key resources and capabilities, we would not achieve the desired level of economic development. Our underutilization of public resources and key infrastructure entities like the Mombasa Port lies at the forefront of our slow economic growth. And its telling... that we are still flat in terms of growth when it comes to governance, not just in politics but in corporates as well- therein lies enormous risk that many investors are still wary about. We are on a good path and I believe and hope we can change for the better, and a lot faster if we out our heads to it.
Read more Read lessThis is an interesting blog that re-affirms the point first made by the World Bank report ‘Accelerating and Sustaining Inclusive Growth’ in 2008. The point was that sustained long-term growth could be in Kenya’s sights if it could keep business risk low by maintaining macroeconomic and political stability, and resolve major supply bottlenecks such as in Mombasa port. The background work done for the... report established the fact that the structural break for Kenya came in the form of peaceful presidential elections in 2002 which were accompanied by perceptions of declining political risk and tangible results in the shape of favorable government debt dynamics. The improvement in policies before and after the elections was reflected in a steady increase in the Bank’s CPIA from 3.3 in 2002 to 3.7 in 2006. The violence around 2008 elections however put a brake on improvements, highlighting, again, political stability as an important ingredient of long-term growth in Kenya. A successful implementation of the new constitution and focus on reducing inequalities appear important to maintaining political stability.
Read more Read lessI completely agree with this article. As a new PhD graduate with so much love for developing Kenya and taking it to the next level, I feel inspired and ready to be part of the team that takes Kenya to the next level. I am ready to use my intellect, work with young Kenyans and use the resources we have to make this happen. This is a great article! Inspiring! Challenging all Kenyans to stand up and together... let's do it for our Country!
Read more Read lessThis argument is well-constructed and true. Our experience on the ground in Nyanza, as well as in meetings in Nairobi, gives us growing confidence in pointing to Kenya as an increasingly model African republic. You haven't understated the effect of high fuel and food prices on the society's prospects, but I think it bears mentioning here that the situation is a hard blow to the country's worst off,... who in certain regions number in the hundreds of thousands. Our focus, investing in western Kenya's best health care NGOs, makes this point a fine one , sometimes dramatically, every day. With a dense population and few medical facilities, the state of individual health often utterly relies on community health workers, who need to eat and who need to get places. It's a problem. With hopes the macro policies to which you refer can eventually play a role in alleviating this situation down at the micro level, we thank you for this good piece. Regards, James Schaffer Executive Director Tiba Foundation
Read more Read lessIf a problem is perennial (as you mention) than it means it is lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring. Therefore, I have no reason to hope.
Dear Alice, Thanks for your response. As you mention the Port of Mombasa, it would probably not need a lot of resources to make it work better. Singapore's port is transacting 50 times more in volume - but it is not 50 times bigger. So you could do a lot with what you have. Better management would go a long way to unleash the potential of the port. Wolfgang
Dear Esther, many thanks. Please also look out for the column "Economics for Everyone" in the Saturday Nation. Wolfgang
Dear James, Many thank for sharing your insights. You are absolutely right and it confirms the general (economist) saying that "inflation is the worst tax for the poor". One of my next blogs will look at the inflation and how it hurts the poor, the key reason being that the poor can't save on food and this is what is driving inflation in Kenya today. Wolfgang
Hello, You say the threshold for middle income countries by the World Bank is USD 1,000 could you please share the link? Secondly according to the World Bank, the GDP per capita for Kenya in 2010 is USD 1,621 (Source: List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita, Wikipedia) which means Kenya has attained middle income status. Could you kindly clarify? Regards Makia
Dear Makia, thanks for following up on this. The World Bank classifies Middle-income countries as having a per capita income of between around US$1,000 and US$10,000, which may qualify them to borrow from IBRD (http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21090989~menuPK:34480~pagePK:34370~theSitePK:4607,00.html). These thresholds are defined on "market exchange rates". In addition,... the World Bank and other development institutions calculate "Purchasing Power Parities" (PPP) which in poor countries is normally higher than market exchange rates because it reflects the prices on 'non-tradables' which are typically substantially cheaper. Wolfgang
Read more Read lessTh Finnish education system is one of the most laudable in the world. Maybe some of uts educators could,in the near future, share their experiences and paradigms to develooing countries like the Philippines,Southeast Asian states.
Th Finnish education system is one of the most laudable in the world. Maybe some of uts educators could,in the near future, share their experiences and paradigms to develooing countries like the Philippines,Southeast Asian states.
The Bank has done a lot to make the world guilty for not doing Finnish education. First search the reasons for success in the small numbers of highly educated citizens who speak a single language and have considerable genetic relatedness. Switzerland has multiple languages but is quite similar (foreigners aside), yet nobody talks about it.
Inclusion and equity in education is a global need, more so in a diverse country like India. I would be very keen on learning more about the practices that are being followed across the world.
Finnish Mathematicians were Blowing Whistle on the Finnish Education Hype. http://goo.gl/mghjyH
Since the implemented of education reforms 40 years back, Finland's school system has consistently come at the top for the international rankings for education systems. Full marks to the government, teachers, and administrators for doing a great job.