Development Roundup: November 2019
Welcome to Development Roundup, a series on the Redefining Aid blog where I share what I’ve been reading in the world of international development.
First (and most importantly) three development economists who radically changed the way we approach international development won the Nobel Prize in Economics this year. Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer won the prize “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty," which has brought evidence-based policy and randomized control trials (RCTs) to the forefront of international development.
This was an important moment for me personally, because Duflo and Banerjee were the inspiration behind my decision to get a PhD in Development Economics and focus my research on randomized control trials.
Two of the recent Nobel Laureates (Duflo and Banerjee) provide an important and harsh critique of how the world views immigration. In particular, they argue that the fears around immigration (i.e. what people think happens to the economy when immigrants enter the country) are wildly overstated, and the benefits for migrants (and the country they migrate to) are far understated.
An important reminder that despite the progress that has been made in recent decades, more than 100 million young adults still live in extreme poverty.
A recent study shows how technology can help alleviate poverty through mobile money interventions.
Using research to inform education policy in Ghana.
Have you read anything interesting lately on international development? Share it with me!