- Soap Operas and Development: Business Week summarizes a lot of recent work and some ongoing work on using soap operas to change behaviors.
- When the nudge unit went to Guatemala – results from efforts to increase tax collection from changes in the phrasing of tax letters etc.
- The Deliberative Lives Project: “The goal of the project is to do something similar as “Portfolios of the Poor” or “Economic Lives of the Poor”, but for thoughts and decisions. A novel feature is that everyone can contribute to design and data analysis: the (de-identified) data will be posted online in real-time as it is collected, and anyone can download and analyze it. Similarly, questionnaires will be developed with input from anyone who wants to give it.”
- Using admin data to measure impact – an example from tax reform in Georgia – Miriam Bruhn discusses her recent work on the All About Finance blog.
- On the CGD blog, Justin Sandefur summarizes the 6 microcredit RCTs recently published in the AEJ applied. Tom Murphy also offers an overview and useful summary table at Humanosphere.
- Does money buy hearts and minds? Eli Berman, Joseph Felter and Jacob Shapiro in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs (h/t @cdsamii): “the type of the aid program matters greatly. Certain kinds of assistance—targeted, low-profile, conditional transfers delivered directly to needy families—appear to decrease conflict. By contrast, large and more high-profile projects, such as initiatives to improve infrastructure, may empower insurgents and exacerbate hostilities.”
Join the Conversation