Despite the increased use of conditional and unconditional cash-transfer programs worldwide, a majority of social protection programs in both developed and developing countries use in-kind transfers and vouchers. This paper reports the results of a randomized evaluation of an unconditional cash...

This paper addresses two important economic issues for Africa: the contribution of national borders and ethnicity to market segmentation and integration between and within countries. The authors find evidence of an international border effect between Niger and Nigeria for both a grain and a cash...

This research seeks to understand whether and how m-money can promote financial inclusion of the world's poor, particularly those living in rural areas. In particular, the purpose of this research is to address some of the potential barriers to m-money adoption and usage in Ghana, with a goal...

Conditional and unconditional cash transfers have been effective in improving development outcomes in a variety of contexts, yet the costs of these programs to program recipients and implementing agencies are rarely discussed. The introduction of mobile money transfer systems in many developing...

Rice production in Africa has tended to be low-yielding, geographically dispersed, and uncompetitive against low-cost Asian imports, even when protected by high freight costs and substantial trade barriers. Skyrocketing prices in world markets in 2007-08 were a shock to African consumers,...

Do national borders and ethnicity contribute to market segmentation between and within countries? This paper uses unique and high-frequency data on narrowly-defined goods to gauge the extent to which a national border impedes trade between developing countries (Niger and Nigeria). Using a...

Despite the importance of rural youth for productivity, growth and development in lower- and middleincome countries, these populations have some of the highest rates of unemployment in the world. Rural youth face particular constraints in terms of labour market participation, including smaller...

The work of Nobel Laureates Banerjee, Duflo and Kremer has centered around the use of randomized control trials to help solve development problems. To date, however, few field experiments have been undertaken to evaluate the effects of humanitarian assistance. The reasons may lie in challenges...

Famines are a common occurrence in the Sahelian region of Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2004, a drought occurred in Niger, resulting in a production shock, higher grain prices and a severe food crisis. Whereas a drought in 2000 resulted in lower per capita grain production relative to 2004, a food...