Foundational Articles
Optional Reading: “The Power of Survey Design”
This text has been recommended as optional reading for the CDE spring elective, Program Evaluation.
Read MoreRequired Reading: “The Miracle of Microfinance? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation”
This article from Banerjee, Duflo, Glennerster and Kinnan adds to the evidence of the sometimes underwhelming effects of microcredit as a way to get people out of poverty. It has been assigned as required reading in the Program Evaluation course, one of the spring CDE electives.
Read MoreFoundational Article: “Behavioral Design: A New Approach to Development Policy”
This article on behavioral design by Saugato Datta and Sendhil Mullainathan focuses on recent developments in incorporating human psychology into the design of policy interventions, and how small changes can have large impacts.
Read MoreRequired Reading: “Social Welfare and the Tradeoff Between Efficiency and Equity”
In the second of a two-part series, this article on social welfare considers cross-country differences in the effect of taxation on labor supply. It has been assigned as reading for “Public Economics,” a core course taught in the fall.
Read MoreFoundational Article: “Rethinking the Growth Diagnostic Approach”
Growth diagnostics attempts to determine what particular factors are inhibiting a country from achieving a higher growth rate. This report by Felipe and Usui first delves deeper into that definition, and then analyzes the limitations and the advantages of growth diagnostics, as well as providing some practical advice for donor agencies about the potential pitfalls.
Read MoreCourse Text: “Schooling and Labor Market Consequences of School Construction in Indonesia”
Excerpts from this article have been assigned as required reading for a core CDE course, “Public Economics.”
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