As recently as 1999, 13 million measles cases and 500,000 measles-related deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa per year. Over the past decade, vaccination coverage across the continent has improved dramatically, largely as a result of the Measles Initiative, an international effort coordinating...

This study explores how initial endowments at the start of transition have shaped reform outcomes and reform trajectories in 27 former communist countries in Europe and Central Asia. Countries of the former Russian Empire that had a large resources sector at the start of transition...

We explore the relationship between property crime and growth among microenterprises in Mexico. We use data on microenterprises and crime incidence from victimization surveys. We find that higher rates of property crime are associated with a significantly lower probability an enterprise plans to...

This study explores how initial endowments at the start of transition have shaped reform outcomes and reform trajectories in 27 former communist countries in Europe andCentral Asia. Countries of the former Russian Empire that had a large resources sector at the start of transition underperformed...

Low adoption of agricultural technologies holds large productivity consequences for developing countries. Agricultural extension services counter information failures by deploying external agents to communicate with farmers. However, social networks are recognized as the most credible source of...

Low adoption of productive agricultural technologies is a puzzle. Agricultural extension services rely on external agents to communicate with farmers, although social networks are known to be the most credible source of information about new technologies. We conduct a large-scale field...

Much recent political economy and political science literature views democracy in terms of political rights. This view, often referred to as electoral democracy, is particularly pronounced in the empirical literature. We reincorporate the role of civil liberties, which are at the core of modern...

Does being a migrant in a developing country cause an individual to receive less access to credit? Migrant status can be a useful signal for lenders in settings with weak contract enforcement and in the absence of well-developed information markets. I investigate this contract...

In many developing countries, aging or inadequate infrastructure is a binding constraint to economic growth. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a US government agency providing development assistance, has committed more than $4 billion to upgrade or rehabilitate roads, ports,...