🆕 In 1973, two research institutes were founded that would dramatically alter their countries' development paths. Today on Ideas in Development, I'm joined by @karthiktadepalli.bsky.social to discuss ITRI in Taiwan and Embrapa in Brazil. Available wherever you get your podcasts ⤵️

Why has @drodrik.bsky.social changed his mind on manufacturing? Really excited for this live episode of the Ideas in Development podcast, taking place next week on Wednesday May 20th (2pm UK). Dani is joining me to discuss his evolving views, the evidence that changed his mind & more.

Here is the link: cepr-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Many have expressed surprise (and dismay) at this. So I'm happy to have a chance to discus why I think manufacturing's promise for developing countries is fading with Oliver Hanney over at VoxDev. Bring your questions. cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thu...

Why has @drodrik.bsky.social changed his mind on manufacturing? Really excited for this live episode of the Ideas in Development podcast, taking place next week on Wednesday May 20th (2pm UK). Dani is joining me to discuss his evolving views, the evidence that changed his mind & more.

🆕 The perfect city? In the final episode of our series on cities, Ed Glaeser joined Kurtis Lockhart and I to discuss the perfect city, the demons of density and what makes cities work.

🆕 Understanding development in the long run Today on VoxDev, Jean-Paul Faguet (@lseid.bsky.social) & Fabio Sánchez (Universidad de los Andes) challenge the consensus that extractive institutions always harm long-run development: voxdev.org/topic/instit...

🆕 Leonard Wantchekon on youth, governance & Africa's urban future. Are African cities a powder keg of restless youth – or the most promising place to build prosperity, peaceful politics and shared civic life?

What’s holding back agriculture in Ghana? Today on VoxDev, Nkechi Owoo outlines why closing the technology gap will require coordinated policy action that addresses financing, infrastructure, and information constraints together, rather than in isolation: voxdev.org/topic/agricu...

🆕 The lies we sell I am sick of hearing the ‘foreign aid will reduce migration’ sales pitch. The best evidence we have suggests that foreign aid will not reduce migration. In fact, it will most likely increase it: olihanney.substack.com/p/the-lies-w...

Sharing research evidence with senior rather than junior staff significantly raises the chance it spreads through an organisation, but shifting peer beliefs about the evidence has no clear effect.

🆕 Boosting farmers' profits 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks w/ Tim, Craig McIntosh (UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy) discusses whether relaxing credit constraints can boost farmers profits: https://voxdev.org/topic/agriculture/boosting-farmers-profits

🆕 How does evidence diffuse through organisations? Today on VoxDev, Mahvish Shaukat (World Bank), Andreas Stegmann (Universität Münster) & Mattie Toma (University of Warwick) discuss how seniority influences evidence use in an organisation: https://ow.ly/fIXT50YRAos

🆕 How does organised crime take over a city – and can mayors act before it does? @chrisblattman.bsky.social joins Kurtis Lockhart and I on Ideas in Development to discuss: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKF3...

🆕 Why was Rwanda’s land reform so successful? Broken land markets are holding back cities across Africa. But not in Rwanda. In this episode of Ideas in Development, Kurtis Lockhart & I are joined by Thierry Hoza Ngoga to discuss all things land reform.

🆕 YIMBY goes global? How to build more housing in Africa This week on Ideas in Development, Kurtis Lockhart (Africa Urban Lab) & I are joined by Kecia Rust (CAHF Africa) to discuss the full housing chain in Africa – from land & finance to construction & rental markets. Links ⤵️

There is a paradox at the heart of governing cities in Africa. Mayors are responsible for building the infrastructure their fast-growing cities need. But most don't control the money this requires. Astrid Haas joins Kurtis Lockhart Africa Urban Lab & I to discuss urban finance.

🆕 When ethnic diversity helps development Today on VoxDev, Miriam Artiles (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) discusses economic exchange and inter-ethnic cooperation in colonial Peru: https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/when-ethnic-diversity-helps-development

🆕 Military cooperation across borders reduced violence in the Sahel Today on VoxDev, Marion Richard (Nova SBE) & Oliver Vanden Eynde (Paris School of Economics) discuss how military cooperation can reduce jihadist violence in border regions: https://ow.ly/aLrV50YCb6P

🆕 The future runs through African cities 900 million people will be added to African cities by 2050. This unprecedented urban transition is a defining development challenge of our time. Kurtis Lockhart (Africa Urban Lab) is joining Ideas in Development for 7 episodes on cities 🧵

🆕 Why ‘billions to trillions’ has failed to attract investment in infrastructure Today on VoxDev w/ Anusha Chari (UNC), Peter Blair Henry (Hoover Institution), Yanru Lee & Pablo Picardo (Banco Central del Uruguay): https://ow.ly/1lNP50YBCRl

🆕 The future runs through African cities 900 million people will be added to African cities by 2050. This unprecedented urban transition is a defining development challenge of our time. Kurtis Lockhart (Africa Urban Lab) is joining Ideas in Development for 7 episodes on cities 🧵

Interested in understanding the economics of ongoing global conflicts, especially in developing countries? Here are 3 recent @voxdev.bsky.social articles you should check out👇

🆕 Cloudy with a chance of no clouds: Why weather forecasts are worse in low-income countries Today on VoxDev w/ Manuel Linsenmeier (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt) & Jeffrey Shrader (Columbia | SIPA): https://ow.ly/vrhb50YAviw

There is no randomising a technological revolution On my Substack, I've written about why development economics needs to step up on the big questions in AI, what that might look like & what some of the big questions actually are. Keen to hear your thoughts! olihanney.substack.com/p/there-is-n...

🆕 Modern industrial policy: The Asian miracles’ blueprint for developing economies Today on VoxDev, Reda Cherif (IMF) & Fuad Hasanov (IMF) discuss principles of industrial policy for economic development: voxdev.org/topic/macroe...

I'm worried that the conversation on AI & jobs is missing the real 'patient zero' of job loss from AI. Fiverr-style service jobs in countries like Pakistan (e.g. logo design, basis coding etc.) seem particularly & imminently at risk, as @umarsaif discussed on the podcast ⤵️

🆕 AI policy in developing countries Being a technology minister right now is hard. The information space is overwhelmed with contradicting policy recommendations, timelines are uncertain & the geopolitics are messy. This week Umar Saif joined Ideas in Development, links ⤵️

Interested in research on gender but don’t know where get started? Here are over 36 insights from @voxdev.bsky.social on the challenges faced by women across 18 developing countries in the workplace, school, household, and with fertility and norms. + research gaps! voxdev.org/topic/gender...

🆕 Can providing information reduce risky migration? Today on VoxDev, giacomo battiston (ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin), Lucia Corno (Università Cattolica) & Eliana La Ferrara (Harvard) outline an informational intervention on the risks of irregular migration in Guinea: https://ow.ly/qkJp50YuBUZ

🆕 AI & development economics: Early evidence + how to keep up I have updated my VoxDev blog collecting the best resources on AI relevant to development economics, organised by evidence on impacts and different use cases: voxdev.org/topic/ai-and...

We are live with Aniket Panjwani on using AI agents for economic research. The Zoom webinar has maxed out at 500?! So join us here: youtube.com/live/YPv9Bqw...

🆕 Why graduates struggle to find jobs in West Africa Esther Mirjam Girsberger (UTS) & Romuald Méango (Department of Economics, University of Oxford) discuss how educated workers wait for scarce jobs in labour markets characterised by severe hiring frictions: https://ow.ly/ECcK50YsK0e

In 1925, hybrid corn came online in the US. It yielded ~20% more/acre, but by 1933 it was on just 0.1% of US corn acreage. It took another drought in 1936 to move Iowa farmers, Europe didn't follow until the 50s, and global adoption is still patchy. Could AI look the same?

What factors are shaping current and future paths of industrialisation? Do these paths differ from the historical experiences of advanced economies? We are live! youtube.com/live/rX2dcat...

🆕 AI, India & the future of service-led growth This week on Ideas in Development, @deenamousa.com and I were joined by Raghuram Rajan to discuss India's growth prospects in the age of AI. Listen to Ideas in Development wherever you get your podcasts, links below ⤵️

Eradicating malaria could deliver much larger economic gains in sub-Saharan Africa than previously believed. The new generation of malaria vaccines provides a highly cost-effective way to realise these benefits. Read today's article to learn more:

🆕 Malaria is not just a health crisis, it is an economic crisis Today on VoxDev, Minki Kim (Economics department, University of Mannheim.) discusses how eradicating malaria could deliver much larger economic gains in sub-Saharan Africa than previously believed: https://ow.ly/JWuR50YrINw

🆕 AI, India & the future of service-led growth This week on Ideas in Development, @deenamousa.com and I were joined by Raghuram Rajan to discuss India's growth prospects in the age of AI. Listen to Ideas in Development wherever you get your podcasts, links below ⤵️

How can you study an economy when official statistics don't exist, or can't be trusted? Really enjoyed today's article which outlines six 'forensic' methods available to economists, and applies them to North Korea ⤵️

🆕 Ray of hope? The rise of solar energy in China Today on VoxDev, Ignacio Banares-Sanchez, Robin Burgess, Dávid László, Pol Simpson, John Van Reenen & Yifan Wang outline their research on China's green industrial policy: voxdev.org/topic/energy...

🆕 How does technology diffuse? This week on Ideas in Development, Josh Lerner joined @deenamousa.com & I to discuss why is there a gap between innovation & impact, + the role of venture capital, universities & China in diffusion: voxdev.org/topic/techno...

🆕 How does technology diffuse? This week on Ideas in Development, Josh Lerner joined @deenamousa.com & I to discuss why is there a gap between innovation & impact, + the role of venture capital, universities & China in diffusion: voxdev.org/topic/techno...

🆕 Could rural-urban climate migration help formalise the economy? Today on VoxDev, Clément Imbert (Sciences Po) & Gabriel Ulyssea (UCL) discuss how drought-driven migration reduced urban informality in Brazil: https://ow.ly/MHCf50YnTLl

🆕 How new export opportunities created good jobs in Vietnam Today on VoxDev, Brian McCaig (Wilfrid Laurier University), Nina Pavcnik (Dartmouth Economics) & Woan Foong Wong (University of Oregon) discuss the far-reaching effects of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement: https://ow.ly/YRZJ50Ymjw2

How did South Korea go from exporting wigs made from human hair & processed human urine (yes you read that right) to colour TVs? Really enjoyed today's presentation by @jaedochoi.bsky.social & Michael Sposi on export-led growth. Slides & recording available here: voxdev.org/voxdevlit/in...

🆕 Is quality upgrading in agriculture a path to poverty reduction? Rocco Macchiavello (LSE), Josepa Miquel-Florensa (Toulouse School of Economics (TSE)), Nicolás de Roux (Uniandes), Eric Verhoogen (Columbia), Mario Bernasconi (University of Basel) & Patrick Farrell: https://ow.ly/Moeh50YlMhQ

🆕 Reducing air pollution: Can markets succeed where regulation fails? 📢 Today on VoxDevTalks, Michael Greenstone (@harrispolicy.bsky.social) discusses the potential of emissions trading systems in developing countries, highlighting evidence from Gujrat, India. Link below ⤵️

One lesson that stood out across this work in India's courtrooms, classrooms & agriculture, is that the AI model itself is not necessarily the hard part. For interventions to scale, the organisational plumbing around the model is crucial ⤵️