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351 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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S5 Ep4: Development Dialogues: Are vocational training programmes effective?
1 april 2025 · 38 min
Vocational training is often seen as a silver bullet for unemployment and poverty, but does the evidence support that view? Why do so many training programs fail to lead to real job opportunities, and are we asking too much of these programs – or maybe the wrong questions entirely? In the latest episode of the collaboration between Yale’s Economic Growth Center and VoxDev, host Catherine Cheney is joined by Oriana Bandiera, professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, Stefano Caria, professor of economics at the University of Warwick, and Munshi Sulaiman, Director of Research at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development and a professor in the Master of Development Studies program at BRAC University, to ask what it takes to make job skills programs work. Lees meer
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S6 Ep12: Can safe transport unlock women’s labour force participation?
27 maart 2025 · 24 min
A fundamental part of women’s economic empowerment is helping women who want to work outside the home to find and keep a job. A major part of that decision is ensuring that they can travel to work without fear of stigma, harassment or violence on public transport. In Pakistan, a study set out to discover whether an offer of safe commuter transport would tempt women who are currently not looking for a job. Lees meer
Kate Vyborny of the World Bank spoke to Tim Phillips from Lahore, where the study
took place, about the challenges women face in commuting to work and about how safe transport can change career opportunities for millions of women.Photo credit: ADB
Read the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/infrastructure/how-safe-transport-could-unlock-womens-labour-force-participation-pakistan
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S6 Ep11: Is debt leading to the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources?
19 maart 2025 · 30 min
How does rising external debt in low-income countries affect the natural capital that
sustains our livelihoods? A new paper focuses on three river basins that are vital to the
livelihoods and biodiversity of the countries that surround them, suggesting ways that
we can both measure and conserve that natural capital in the face of the economic
forces that threaten it. Pushpam Kumar of UN Environment Programme talks to Tim
Phillips about the alarming rise in the ratio of debt to natural capital for the 21 countries whose wealth relies on the river basins that they border, and how debt-for-nature swaps may be our best hope of avoiding both an economic and ecological disaster. Lees meerRead the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/energy-environment/debt-leading-unsustainable-exploitation-natural-resources
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S6 Ep10: Simon Johnson on geopolitics, AI, and the future of global development
12 maart 2025 · 33 min
Geopolitical alliances are changing rapidly. Technological innovation is reshaping our economies. These trends offer a cocktail of risk and reward for countries in the global south. They are also both topics that are familiar to Simon Johnson of MIT. Lees meer
Simon speaks to Tim Phillips about how policy in developing countries should respond to President Trump’s deglobalization agenda, how artificial intelligence changes the future for all countries, and where growth and jobs will come from in the future.
And of course, what it was like to win the Nobel Prize.
Read the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/geopolitics-ai-future-global-development-conversation-simon-johnson
Sahel and West Africa Club: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/directorates/sahel-and-west-africa-club.html
Power and progress: https://shapingwork.mit.edu/power-and-progress/
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S6 Ep9: Rebuilding Sudan’s digital infrastructure amidst conflict
5 maart 2025 · 26 min
Civil war – the latest in a long series of armed conflicts – broke out in Sudan in April
2023. Today, more than half of the population needs humanitarian aid, and almost 15
million people have been displaced. The war has also devastated the digital
infrastructure in Sudan, deepening the crisis. African Renaissance Ventures is a VC firm
that backs entrepreneurs who use technology to solve major development challenges.
Magdi Amin tells Tim Phillips about how its infrastructure might be restored, and the
risks to Sudan’s population if it is not. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/rebuilding-sudans-digital-infrastructure-amidst-conflict
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S6 Ep8: Bangladesh’s path forward: Leveraging evidence-based policy
26 februari 2025 · 23 min
Bangladesh's development story in the 21st century is often regarded as a model of
resilience and progress. But on 5 August 2024, student-led protests and public unrest
caused Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s prime minister, to resign and flee to India. An
interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, took over. Six months on, Bangladesh’s
political and economic future is unclear. Imran Matin, Executive Director, BRAC Institute
of Governance and Development (BIGD), is one of the experts in Bangladesh who are
attempting to discover and communicate a clearer picture of the country’s present – and its options for the future. He talks to Tim Phillips about how evidence-based policy can give the country a path forward. Lees meer -
S5 Ep3: Development dialogues: The future of evidence-based policy-making
24 februari 2025 · 42 min
With populist politicians taking power around the world, policymakers are relying less
on research and expertise, as their political narratives prioritise emotion and identity
over facts. This may have long-term consequences for global development: not least
in the US, where the Agency for International Development has been dismantled,
with thousands of staff laid off. Critical development programs have been halted, and
the future of US foreign assistance is in limbo. In the latest episode of the
collaboration between Yale’s Economic Growth Center and VoxDev, host Catherine
Cheney asks Rory Stewart, former UK Secretary of State for International
Development, Stefan Dercon of the University of Oxford and formerly chief
economist of the UK Department for International Development, and Trudi Makhaya,
former economic advisor to the President of South Africa, how we can ensure that
facts and evidence still matter in policymaking. Lees meerCheck out the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/development-dialogues-future-evidence-based-policymaking-and
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S6 Ep7: How do cash transfers impact prices?
19 februari 2025 · 26 min
What are the price impacts of cash transfer programs? Do they raise prices as well
as incomes? And what is the impact on people in the community who don’t receive
the transfer? Eeshani Kandpal of the Center for Global Development is one of the
researchers who has investigated this topic. She talks to Tim Phillips about the
conclusions of her own research, the insights of other economists, and the
implications for policy. Lees meer -
S6 Ep6: The economics of ecosystems
12 februari 2025 · 36 min
How does a healthy ecosystem benefit humanity? How does the normal functioning
of the economy impact natural habitats and animal populations? And what are the
costs and benefits of conservation? Eyal Frank of the University of Chicago works at
the intersection of economics and conservation. He speaks to Tim Phillips about how
economic growth often has a hidden environmental cost. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/energy-environment/economics-ecosystems-how-nature-and-economies-interact
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S6 Ep5: Peacemaking, peacebuilding and post-war reconstruction
5 februari 2025 · 31 min
The Reducing Conflict and Improving Performance in the Economy (ReCIPE)
programme, established in April 2024, aims to provide a better understanding of the
links between conflict, economic growth, and public policies. One of its many themes
is on what happens post-conflict: peacemaking, peacebuilding, and reconstruction.
Salma Mousa and Lisa Hultman, theme leaders, talk to Tim Phillips about why
peacebuilding must always be both bottom-up and top-down if it is going to work. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/peacemaking-peacebuilding-and-post-war-reconstruction
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S6 Ep4: What have we learned about microfinance?
30 januari 2025 · 31 min
Published this week: the latest VoxDevLit covers microfinance. After many decades,
microfinance is pervasive and popular in developing countries but is often
controversial. What have we learned about what works, how it works, and who it
helps – and what is there still to understand? Authors Simon Quinn, Muhammad
Meki, and Jing Cai talk to Tim Phillips about the problems of evaluation, the
surprising uses to which microfinance has been put, and the lessons that
policymakers can learn from the story of microfinance so far. Lees meerRead the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/finance/what-have-we-learned-about-microfinance
Read and download the VoxDevLit from our new look website here: https://voxdev.org/voxdevlit/microfinance
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S6 Ep3: How can countries develop their economies in a changed world?
22 januari 2025 · 30 min
In 2018, “Unorthodox policies for unorthodox times” was the title of the first in a
series of blogs published by the International Growth Centre. The authors argued
that the environment for development had changed, and so development policies
should change too. Seven years on, as delegates gather in Davos for the 2025
Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, how prescient was the analysis in
these articles, and what does this mean for future growth policy? Tim Dobermann
and Francesco Caselli talk to Tim Phillips about which “unorthodox policies” the
delegates to Davos should be discussing this week. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/how-can-countries-develop-their-economies-changed-world
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S6 Ep2: Rethinking evidence in development economics
15 januari 2025 · 29 min
Many development economists would argue that the most important innovation of
the last two decades has been a commitment to use only rigorous evidence for
policy, and usually what they mean is evidence generated by RCTs. But are
systematic reviews of the results a useful guide to policy? And should development
economics continue to be focusing so much on the programmes that flow from RCT-
driven research? Lant Pritchett of LSE talks to Tim Phillips about the nature of
“rigorous” evidence in development economics, and the future of the discipline itself. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/rethinking-evidence-and-refocusing-growth-development-economics
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S6 Ep1: How does internet connectivity impact developing economies?
8 januari 2025 · 23 min
For more than 30 years, optimists about technology have been telling us that the
internet is transforming our economies. What is the evidence that this has happened,
or is happening, in low- or middle-income countries? And if the promise has not been
fulfilled, why not? Lin Tian is one of the authors of a new paper that examines the
evidence so far. She talks to Tim Phillips about what the research is telling us. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/how-does-internet-connectivity-impact-developing-economies
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S4 Ep53: The role of evidence at development finance institutions
19 december 2024 · 30 min
Chris Woodruff has pioneered academic research into businesses, large and small, in low-income countries, He is also a non-executive Director of British International Investment (BII), a development finance institution and impact investor that partners with more than 1,500 businesses in emerging economies, with assets of £8.1 billion. Chris talks to Tim Phillips about what he has learned from his association with BII into how research can inform policy and investment – and whether economists worry too much about external validity. Lees meer
Read the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/firms/role-evidence-development-finance-institutions
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S5 Ep2: Development Dialogues: How can emerging economies break free from the sidelines of global trade?
17 december 2024 · 36 min
In the second episode of the collaboration between Yale’s Economic Growth Center
and VoxDev, Catherine Cheney speaks to Amit Khandelwal of the Yale Jackson
School of Public Affairs, Isabela Manelici of the London School of Economics, and
Arvind Subramanian of the Peterson Institute, As globalisation faces new headwinds,
they discuss the outlook for those countries that didn’t reap the trade benefits from
the spread of globalisation, and the new challenges for LMICs. Lees meer -
S4 Ep52: Why do protests matter?
12 december 2024 · 33 min
When citizens demand change and feel they are not being heard, they protest on the
streets. Thanks to social media and TV coverage, we see protests every night on the
news. But has the frequency or the character of protests changed? Who is
protesting, and what makes them take to the streets? David Yang and Noam
Yuchtman are two of the authors of a new review of the literature on protests. They
tell Tim Phillips what they discovered. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/why-do-protests-matter-exploring-their-causes-and-lasting
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S4 Ep51: How the urban environment can adapt to climate change
10 december 2024 · 24 min
In our final episode based on this year’s BREAD-IGC virtual PhD-level course on the
economics of cities in low and middle-income countries, Matthew Kahn of USC and
Siqi Zheng of MIT focus on sustainable urbanisation. They tell Tim Phillips about how
cities can adapt in the face of climate change, both its inhabitants and its buildings. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/migration-urbanisation/how-urban-environment-can-adapt-climate-change
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S4 Ep50: Helping jobseekers signal their skills
5 december 2024 · 18 min
If you’re applying for a job, you want to know what you’re good at, and be able to
prove it to the recruiter. If doing the recruiting, you want some evidence about who
the best candidates would be. In low- or middle-income countries, this information is
often in short supply. How does this affect who gets a job, and the hiring process? In
the latest in our collaborations with J-Pal to discuss their policy insights, Marianne
Bertrand of Chicago Booth School, also Co-Chair, Labor Markets at J-Pal, and
Stefano Caria of the University of Warwick, tell Tim Phillips about the impact of skills
signals on employment. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/labour-markets/helping-jobseekers-signal-their-skills-cost-effective-strategy-benefitting
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S4 Ep49: The history of cash transfers
3 december 2024 · 38 min
There are more than 1.4 million papers about cash transfers. They inspired Ugo
Gentilini, lead economist for social protection at the World Bank, to spend five years
researching the surprisingly long and rich history of these cash transfers. The
resulting book, called “Timely Cash: Lessons From 2,500 Years of Giving People
Money”, shows that the political and ethical debates that cash transfers inspire are
centuries, sometimes millennia, old. In a special episode to mark the launch of his
book, Ugo explains to Tim Phillips how we can draw on history to understand the
current, sometimes heated, debates about why, when, and where cash transfers
should be used. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/history-cash-transfers
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S4 Ep48: The high price of Pakistan’s polluting power contracts
27 november 2024 · 30 min
Where does electricity come from? In developing countries, the power sector uses
long-term, rigid contracts called power purchase agreements (PPAs) between a
private generator and government-owned utilities. These PPAs are not usually
competitive, their terms – including payment guarantees by which suppliers get paid
even when there is no demand – are often secret, they can last for up to 30 years,
and they guarantee the use of fossil fuels far into the future. Sugandha Srivastav
tells Tim Phillips about how the privatisation of electricity generation has created a
way to move money “from the public coffers to vested interests”. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/energy-environment/why-pakistan-locked-overpriced-and-environmentally-damaging-power-sector
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S4 Ep47: How government analytics can improve public sector implementation
20 november 2024 · 46 min
Can better data analysis improve the way that a government functions. The
Government Analytics Handbook, published by the World Bank, is both a practical
how-to guide and a fascinating insight into how administrators can improve the
quality of government analytics. Daniel Rogger and Christian Schuster are the
editors. They talk to Tim Phillips about the challenges, the potential – and their work
to create a community of analysts. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/public-economics/how-government-analytics-can-improve-public-sector-implementation
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S4 Ep46: Designing cities in developing countries
13 november 2024 · 32 min
As cities grow and spread, the uses to which land is put, and the value of that land,
will also change. The challenges of urban planning, construction and renewal are
complicated. But the way we address those challenges has profound impacts for the
people who live, and will live, in that physical city. Vernon Henderson and Maisy
Wong of University of Pennsylvania explain to Tim Phillips how cities adapt, change
and grow – and how that affects the lives and prospects of the people who live in
them. Lees meer -
S4 Ep45: Strengthening climate resilience in agriculture
7 november 2024 · 23 min
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, and so it has never been
more important to increase the resilience of small-scale farmers. What does
research tell us are the most effective interventions and policies to do this? In the
latest of our special episodes to discuss J-PAL policy insights, Tavneet Suri talks to
Tim Phillips about how we can strengthen the resilience of farmers to climate
change. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/energy-environment/financing-climate-adaptation-what-works-what-doesnt-and-can-carbon-credits
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S5 Ep1: Development Dialogues: Financing climate adaptation
5 november 2024 · 34 min
In the first episode of a regular collaboration between Yale's Economic Growth
Center and VoxDev, host Catherine Cheney speaks to Catherine Wolfram and
Namrata Kala of the MIT Sloan School, and Rohini Pande of Yale, about how to
finance climate adaptation. They discuss what works and what doesn't, what role
carbon markets play, and also discuss the upcoming United Nations Climate
Change Summit, COP 29. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/energy-environment/financing-climate-adaptation-what-works-what-doesnt-and-can-carbon-credits
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S4 Ep43: The role of cities in economic development
30 oktober 2024 · 24 min
If you go to the IGC web site, you will discover the BREAD-IGC virtual PhD-level
course in economics. The topic for 2024 is urbanisation and the economics of cities
in low and middle-income countries. Ed Glaeser and Diego Puga gave the first talk,
about the dynamic city. They talk to Tim Phillips about what attracts people to cities,
how those cities constantly change and adapt to the needs of those new arrivals,
and the urgent need for research into how cities grow and change outside high-
income countries. Lees meerRead the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/migration-urbanisation/role-cities-economic-development
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S4 Ep42: Can we use experiments to understand institutions?
23 oktober 2024 · 31 min
Institutions help to determine economic growth. But studying how they do this using
the rigorous experimental techniques popularised in the credibility revolution is
difficult. A new review highlights an exciting new wave of empirical research into the
consequences of institutional change. Michael Callen and Jonathan Weigel talk to
Tim Phillips about how we can do experiments about institutions. Lees meerRead the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/can-we-use-experiments-understand-institutions
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S4 Ep41: What can we learn from food economics?
16 oktober 2024 · 33 min
A new open access textbook called Food Economics analyses the connections
between agriculture and resource use, commodity trade, food businesses, and retail
markets. It covers how food is produced, brought to market, and sold. But it also
looks at consumption: why many have too little food, and the problems caused by
malnutrition. Will Masters and Amelia Finaret, the authors, tell Tim Phillips who is it
for, and what they can learn. Lees meerRead the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/agriculture/what-can-we-learn-food-economics
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S4 Ep40: How connecting firms to markets can promote economic development
9 oktober 2024 · 19 min
Small businesses in LMICs provide most of the employment. But they could provide
many more jobs if the best of them could unlock their potential to grow. In the latest
of our series of VoxDev Talks based on J-PAL special reports, Tim Phillips talks to
David Atkin about how we can do a better job of connecting firms and entrepreneurs
to markets. Lees meerRead the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/firms/how-connecting-firms-markets-can-promote-economic-development
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S4 Ep39: The gap between education policy and practice
3 oktober 2024 · 18 min
More children than ever in LMICs go to school – but they still don’t learn as much as
we would want, and the difference between the educational haves and the have-nots
is widening. Noam Angrist joins Tim Phillips to talk about the size of the gap between
education policy and practice, why it exists, why economic development alone isn’t
closing it, and how we can improve policy implementation in future. Lees meerRead the full show notes here: https://voxdev.org/topic/education/gap-between-education-policy-and-practice
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S4 Ep38: Navigating macroeconomic shocks in sub-Saharan Africa
25 september 2024 · 39 min
Since 2020, governments everywhere have had to grapple with the impacts of first
Covid-19 and then a series of global shocks, not least the Russian invasion of
Ukraine. The challenges have been particularly acute in Africa. Christopher Adam
has seen the impacts of these shocks at first hand – and has also advised some of
the people who have been making policy in Africa to mitigate their effects. He talks to
Tim Phillips about how global shocks constrain Africa’s policymakers and how the
after-effects of this “polycrisis” will be felt in future. Lees meer -
S4 Ep37: How do floods impact economic development?
18 september 2024 · 29 min
Dev Patel of Harvard describes Bangladesh as “ground zero for the harmful effects
of climate change”. Extreme weather events, particularly floods, are already affecting
the lives of millions of people who live there and are making life more difficult for the
country’s farmers. He tells Tim Phillips how he harnessed machine learning to create
for the first time reliable global data on flooding – and also used his methods to find a
way to give Bangladesh’s beleaguered farmers better data on what crops to grow. Lees meerCheck out the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/energy-environment/how-do-floods-impact-economic-development
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S4 Ep36: How meritocracy varies across the world
11 september 2024 · 18 min
In a meritocracy more people can do jobs that match their skills, making them more productive. It’s not just good for them, it’s good for the economy too. So how effective are the policies that try to make countries more meritocratic? Oriana Bandiera and Ilse Lindenlaub tell Tim Phillips how much productivity countries are sacrificing because the wrong people are in the wrong jobs, which countries are most meritocratic, and how we can best help the others to catch up. Lees meer
Check out the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/macroeconomics-growth/how-meritocracy-varies-across-world
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S4 Ep35: Improving access to clean water
4 september 2024 · 22 min
More people die from contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation than from
water-related disasters. What are the consequences if we don’t provide safe drinking
water, especially for children, and what technologies and policies can accelerate that
change? In the first of a series of VoxDev Talks based on J-PAL Policy Insights,
Pascaline Dupas of Princeton, also Scientific Director for J-PAL Africa, explains the
importance of clean water to Tim Phillips. Lees meerCheck out the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/health/improving-access-and-usage-clean-water
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S4 Ep34: The past, present and future of development economics
28 augustus 2024 · 39 min
Pranab Bardhan of Berkeley has recently published a memoir called Charaiveti: An
Academic’s Global Journey. It takes in his childhood in India, and his academic
career in the UK, India and the US. The book takes in topics as diverse as whether
the questions Marx asked are still relevant today, what economists can learn from
anthropologists, what the Chinese government got right (and wrong), and the
dangers of offering policy prescriptions for places we have never visited. He talks to
Tim Phillips about the past, and the future, of development economics. Lees meerCheck out the full show notes on VoxDev: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/past-present-and-future-development-economics
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S4 Ep33: Measuring upward mobility in developing countries
21 augustus 2024 · 35 min
We don’t know much about economic mobility in developing countries compared to
the wealthier, data-rich societies which have been the subjects of so much recent
research. What does the data tell us so far, and what is important to find out? Debraj
Ray and Garance Genicot tell Tim Phillips why measuring upward mobility in low-
and middle-income countries is both difficult and important, and what their research
is revealing about the impact of growth on that mobility. Lees meer -
S4 Ep32: Communicating evidence on education policy
14 augustus 2024 · 26 min
In May 2024 the world’s largest gathering of education and skills ministers took place
in London. Tahir Andrabi was there to meet policymakers in his capacity as a
member of the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP). GEEAP
analyses existing research in education to discover which policies are “smart buys”
for governments, and which are not. He talks to Tim Phillips to talk about how
policymakers respond when their ideas are challenged, and the potential benefits
from making better decisions about education policy. Lees meer -
S4 Ep31: The role of economics in promoting lasting peace
1 augustus 2024 · 19 min
Conflict destroys people, communities, and entire economies. If we reduce the amount of conflict in the world, we save lives and reduce poverty. Dominic Rohner of the University of Lausanne tells Tim Phillips about his new book called The Peace Formula, which sets out a different way to prevent and resolve conflict. Lees meer
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S4 Ep30: Vocational and apprenticeship training in developing countries
30 juli 2024 · 22 min
It makes sense that vocational training and apprenticeships would be an effective way to help young people find productive work in the global south. But evidence to support this reasonable assumption has been weak, and many researchers find little or no effect. Subha Mani and Neha Agarwal have reviewed the evidence, and they tell Tim Phillips that one type of training shows strong results. It’s just not the type that is often implemented. Lees meer
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S4 Ep29: How do fathers influence early childhood development?
24 juli 2024 · 23 min
Mothers traditionally provide most of the care for children in early years. What role
do fathers play, what difference would it make if they did more, and how could policy
incentivise them to do exactly that? David Evans and Pamela Jakiela talk to Tim
Phillips about the benefit of involving fathers in early childhood development, but
also how adapting parenting programmes to involve fathers isn’t straightforward. Lees meer -
S4 Ep28: Paul Collier: Economics for the left behind
17 juli 2024 · 50 min
Paul Collier has for many years challenged the conventional wisdom of development
economics, bringing our attention to the real-world impact of policies many of us take
for granted. His new book is called Left Behind. It is about how some countries or
regions in the world fall behind, and what we can do to help them recover. In this
week’s episode he talks to Tim Phillips about what causes a place to be left behind,
the difficulty in stopping that downward spiral, and what the places that have
recovered have in common. Lees meer -
S4 Ep27: Can flexible work bypass gender norms?
10 juli 2024 · 26 min
If women in developing countries want to work, what keeps them out of the labour
force? Is it the other tasks they have to do, or the expectations of the people around
them? Two new papers experiment with the effect of offering flexible working to
women in India, Lisa Ho talks to Tim Phillips about what the results might mean for
the millions of women in India and beyond who would like to work, but don’t. Lees meer -
S4 Ep26: Maximising impact: Open Philanthropy's approach to choosing causes
3 juli 2024 · 26 min
If you want to do good, and do not have unlimited funds, how do you choose? Which
places, people, and situations are most deserving? Do you invest in economic
benefits or lives saved? Open Philanthropy in an organisation that aims to rigorously
optimise the impact of every dollar it spends. Emily Oehlsen tells Tim Phillips about
its successes so far, and how it still sometimes gets it wrong. Lees meer -
S4 Ep25: Rethinking how we measure extreme poverty
26 juni 2024 · 24 min
Many of us can recall when we first discovered there were more than a billion people
in the world who lived on “a dollar a day”. This extreme poverty line been effective at
raising awareness of the goals of development. But, if we want to eradicate poverty
rather than describe it, is it a useful tool – and what could improve on it? Charles
Kenny discusses how the line is drawn, and how it could be improved, with Tim
Phillips. Lees meer -
S4 Ep24: Depression and loneliness among the elderly in LMICs
19 juni 2024 · 23 min
In developing countries, we know comparatively little about how well the elderly cope
with problems like depression and loneliness. There are few policies to support
sufferers, partly because of this lack of data. Maddie McKelway and Garima Sharma
tell Tim Phillips about some of the surprising revelations of a new cross-country
study and suggest ways in which policy can improve the mental health of seniors. Lees meer -
S4 Ep23: Adaptation on the frontline of climate change
12 juni 2024 · 29 min
“There’s only so much adapting you can do with so few resources.” That’s a warning
from Asif Saleh, the executive director of BRAC, about the impact of the climate
crisis in Bangladesh. Changes in the climate are causing severe problems already
for millions of the world’s poorest people. A combination of ingenuity and hard work
is staving off disaster for now – but for how long? Lees meer -
S4 Ep22: How to policymakers interpret different types of evidence?
5 juni 2024 · 17 min
How does new evidence influence the beliefs of policymakers, and when do hidden
biases of beliefs lead to bad policy decisions? There is more rigorous empirical
evidence on which interventions work than ever. But that doesn’t translate into better
policy unless a policymaker acts on it. Eva Vivalt and Tim Phillips offer advice to
researchers on how to present their insights. Lees meer -
S4 Ep21: How can LMICs collect more taxes?
29 mei 2024 · 30 min
In both high- and low-income countries, taxes are the main source of government
revenue. They fund roads, schools, and social programmes. But the average tax-to-
GDP ratio in a developing country is less than half of the ratio in the global north.
Oyebola Okunogbe tells Tim Phillips about the innovative ways that many LMICs are
using to collect the taxes that will finance their growth. Lees meer -
S4 Ep20: How equitable are taxes in LMICs?
22 mei 2024 · 20 min
Inequality is high in many LMICs, and progressive taxation is a policy tool that would reduce it. But would a personal income tax or a consumption tax redistribute in the same way as in a high-income country? Lucie Gadenne of Queen Mary University of London and the IFS tells Tim Phillips that one of these taxes may be less progressive, and one may be more progressive, than we expect. Lees meer
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S4 Ep19: Pathways to development in a less integrated world
15 mei 2024 · 23 min
In a world of economic nationalism rather than integration, the export-led pathway to
development that transformed China, Vietnam and other countries might no longer
be effective. Instead, Penny Goldberg tells Tim Phillips, policies for poverty reduction
now also need to answer the question of where demand will come from, and that
may require more emphasis on creating a domestic middle class. Lees meer