Episodes

  • S4 Ep19: Pathways to development in a less integrated world

    S4 Ep19: Pathways to development in a less integrated world
    May 15 2024
    In a world of economic nationalism rather than integration, the export-led pathway to
    development that transformed China, Vietnam and other countries might no longer
    be effective. Instead, Penny Goldberg tells Tim Phillips, policies for poverty reduction
    now also need to answer the question of where demand will come from, and that
    may require more emphasis on creating a domestic middle class.
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    23 mins
  • S4 Ep18: Harnessing technology to boost African agriculture

    S4 Ep18: Harnessing technology to boost African agriculture
    May 8 2024
    Agriculture makes up a large share of employment and GDP in Africa, but crop yields remain stubbornly low. VoxDev has published Issue 2 of Agricultural Technology in Africa, which reviews what the published literature can – and cannot – explain about this stagnation. Chris Udry, one of the editors, tells Tim Phillips about the impact of this stagnation on living standards in Africa, and insights from recent research that can potentially make a difference.

    Read the VoxDevLit: https://voxdev.org/voxdevlit/agricultural-technology-africa
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    18 mins
  • S4 Ep17: Increasing learning at scale in Ghana

    S4 Ep17: Increasing learning at scale in Ghana
    May 1 2024
    How can we take what we learn in educational RCTs and apply it at scale to many
    schools, maybe in many countries? Adrienne Lucas talks to Tim Phillips about the
    project she was part of to improve learning in Ghana, the difference between small-
    and large-scale trials, and the challenge of implementing policies results without
    perfect compliance or daily monitoring.
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    26 mins
  • S4 Ep16: Electricity shortages and unemployment in Africa

    S4 Ep16: Electricity shortages and unemployment in Africa
    Apr 24 2024
    In high-income countries, we take a reliable electricity supply for granted. But in parts
    of the world where that reliable electricity supply isn’t available, what is the effect of
    frequent power outages on employment? Justice Tei Mensah of The World Bank tells
    Tim Phillips about how power cuts translate to job cuts.
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    21 mins
  • S4 Ep15: The global learning crisis

    S4 Ep15: The global learning crisis
    Apr 17 2024
    In September 2022 António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, convened the Transforming Education Summit by telling education stakeholders from around the world that education is “beset by inequalities and struggling to adjust to the needs of the 21st century”. Their task: to tackle the global learning crisis by transforming their education systems. Robert Jenkins of UNICEF talks to Tim Phillips about the progress that has been made to solve what he calls “the global learning crisis”.
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    30 mins
  • S4 Ep14: How does cultural distance shape conflict?

    S4 Ep14: How does cultural distance shape conflict?
    Apr 10 2024
    What determines how a war is fought, and who chooses to fight it? Eleonora Guarnieri of the University of Exeter talks to Tim Phillips about how cultural distance influences whether, and how, sexual violence is used as a weapon of war – and its role in civil conflict in Africa.
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    30 mins
  • S4 Ep13: Further education in low- and middle-income countries

    S4 Ep13: Further education in low- and middle-income countries
    Apr 3 2024
    If you go to college in a low- or middle-income country (LMIC), how does it help you, and what do you get from it? Two questions that would seem to have obvious answers – but these questions may be more complicated for policymakers to answer than they seem. Jishnu Das tells Tim Phillips that “the demographic dividend seems to be turning into a demographic nightmare” – and what researchers and policymakers can do about it.
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    29 mins
  • S4 Ep12: The psychology of poverty

    S4 Ep12: The psychology of poverty
    Mar 20 2024
    Does being rich make us happy, or is it being richer than other people that matters? Will interventions that alleviate poverty also improve someone’s well-being? If we can improve a person’s mental health, does this have an economic effect too? Johannes Haushofer and Daniel Salicath tell Tim Phillips what we know so far about these questions, and how future research can help us understand the psychology of poverty.
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    19 mins