Is the high degree of gender inequality in develo** countries—in education, personal
autonomy, and more—explained by underdevelopment itself? Or do the societies that are …

Poverty remains one of the most pressing problems facing the world; the mechanisms
through which poverty arises and perpetuates itself, however, are not well understood. Here …

We use a randomized controlled trial to study the response of poor households in rural
Kenya to unconditional cash transfers from the NGO GiveDirectly. The transfers differ from …

Behavioral development economics applies theories and ideas from psychology and
behavioral economics to the study of questions in development economics. We begin by …

As economists increasingly help governments design new policies and regulations, they
take on an added responsibility to engage with the details of policy making and, in doing so …

Women empowerment and economic development are closely related: in one direction,
development alone can play a major role in driving down inequality between men and …

Safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are fundamental to an improved
standard of living. Globally, 91% of households used improved drinking water sources in …

Background Access to safe drinking-water is a fundamental requirement for good health and
is also a human right. Global access to safe drinking-water is monitored by WHO and …

We present results from an experiment that randomized the expansion of electric grid
infrastructure in rural Kenya. Electricity distribution is a canonical example of a natural …

The poor can and do save, but often use formal or informal instruments that have high risk,
high cost, and limited functionality. This could lead to undersaving compared to a world …