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Blog Post
April 04, 2024
A large academic and policy debate has focused on the increase in market concentration over the past few decades which has given rise to “star firms,” a small set of firms that generate abnormal returns for their investors. A common concern is that these firms exert excess market power and behave as...
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
March 25, 2024
The role of fathers in parenting young children differs dramatically across societies. Policymakers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are increasingly focused on increasing the amount of early childhood stimulation and other investments received by young children in an attempt to increase ...
Blog Post
March 21, 2024
As many developing countries approach universal enrollment in primary school, the World Bank has emerged as one of the most prominent advocates for a pivot “from schooling access to learning outcomes” in recent decades. The most recent education strategy of the Bank, adopted in 2011, emphasizes the ...
WORKING PAPERS
March 21, 2024
Since 2011, the World Bank’s education strategy has emphasized the need to shift focus from schooling to learning, and towards primary education with special attention to foundational skills. But this shift is not always easy to see in the actual lending data. Coding new details on 25 years of World...
Blog Post
March 07, 2024
An extraordinary cascade of crises threatens Africa’s growth and economic stability. The incomplete economic recovery from the global pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, food and fuel inflation, rising debt distress, and Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza have all aggravated geopolitical and geo-econo...
Blog Post
February 28, 2024
In one new paper, “Toxic Recycling: The Cost of Used Lead-Acid Battery Processing in Mexico”, the authors study the effect of lead-acid battery recycling in Mexico. They find that children exposed to a new source of lead exposure from battery recycling plants score 0.05 - 0.09 standard deviations wo...
Blog Post
February 16, 2024
As African heads of state and government meet for the 37th African Union Summit to discuss “educating and skilling an Africa fit for the 21st century,” they face stark choices forced by a stormy economic environment juxtaposed with urgent educational needs. Although the current climate might require...