Ideas to action: independent research for global prosperity
Search
Filters:
Experts
Facet Toggle
Topics
Facet Toggle
Content Type
Facet Toggle
Publication Type
Facet Toggle
Time Frame
Facet Toggle
Blog Post
May 31, 2024
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is up for renewal this year. AGOA is a cornerstone of US-Africa economic relations, and has enjoyed bipartisan support for nearly a quarter century. But it's showing its age. A lot has changed since Bill Clinton signed the bill back in 2000—not least, th...
WORKING PAPERS
April 02, 2024
Starting in 2001, duty-free access to U.S. markets under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) led to a brief boom in African manufacturing exports, particularly apparel, which then fizzled in the face of unfettered Chinese competition after 2005. The looming expiration of AGOA—and eroding C...
Blog Post
April 02, 2024
“Trade not aid” is a slogan that appeals to certain instincts on both the left and right. The idea being that rich countries can do more for economic development in poor countries by granting them market access than by sending charity. But will market access really stimulate economic growth in laggi...
WORKING PAPERS
November 20, 2023
Over two decades and dozens of countries, the United States Agency for International Development has refined a package of support for early-grade reading, often referred to as “structured pedagogy”, which includes textbooks, teacher training, coaching, and lesson plans.
REPORTS
April 21, 2022
This report debates the case for specific public investments in education in low- and lower-middle-income countries, drawing on evidence of what has worked not just in small-scale experiments but historically and in large-scale national programs. Its messages are intended more for economic policymak...
Blog Post
April 21, 2022
Suppose you’re the minister of education in a lower-middle income country. It’s budget season. You have a meeting tomorrow with the finance minister to make your case for more education spending. You know she’s skeptical that money is really what’s holding your school system back. The World Bank say...
WORKING PAPERS
February 23, 2022
We use comparable, survey-based literacy tests for repeated cross-sections of men and women born between 1950 and 2000 to study education outcomes across cohorts in 87 countries. We find that education quality, defined as literacy conditional on completing five years of schooling, stagnated or decli...