Institutions & Political Economy

How US-supplied weapons fuel migration to the US border

Evidence from the Northern Triangle and Mexico shows that an increase in the supply of weapons raises homicidal violence, which subsequently drives migration. Notably, this effect persists even when weapons are transferred through proper legal protoc...

Julio Acuña

Published

05.06.26

Decentralising development: The economic effects of government splits

When Brazil let neglected districts break away and form new municipalities, peripheral areas gained services, jobs, and growth at no visible cost to the rest of the country.

Institutions & Political Economy

Ricardo Dahis Christiane Szerman

Published

03.06.26

Overburdened bureaucrats, not corruption, are delaying public benefits in India

Delays in public benefit delivery can harm societies' most vulnerable households, but making management-relevant information more accessible to the bureaucrats implementing these programmes can meaningfully improve delivery speeds.

Institutions & Political Economy

Eric Dodge Yusuf Neggers Rohini Pande Charity Troyer Moore

Published

02.06.26

How violence against journalists reshapes the profession – and what gets reported

In Mexico, violence against journalists reduces media activity in the months following an attack and, in the long run, reshapes the profession towards younger and less-established reporters – with lasting implications for local government transparenc...

Institutions & Political Economy

José A. Jurado Juan S. Morales

Published

01.06.26

The future of global development: Approaches and partnerships for a new reality

Global development leaders examine how priorities and funding must evolve to create new partnerships that drive transparency, accountability, and impact.

Institutions & Political Economy

Mark Suzman Vera Songwe Mark Green W. Gyude Moore

Published

28.05.26

How conflict shocks travel along food supply chains

Conflict disrupting transport routes in Somalia raises food prices and worsens household welfare in distant, peaceful markets, showing that the economic costs of violence travel far beyond the front line through supply chains. Aid strategies focused ...

Institutions & Political Economy

Marco Alfano Thomas Cornelissen

Published

28.05.26

Why civil service reform fails – and what actually works

Martin Williams draws on over a decade of research across six African countries to explain why civil service reforms so often fall short, and what leaders should do instead.

Institutions & Political Economy

Martin J. Williams

Published

27.05.26

The evidence gap on evidence use

Michelle Rao on evidence use, how evaluations shape funding, and a key evidence gap in development economics.

Institutions & Political Economy

Michelle Rao Oliver Hanney

Published

26.05.26

The lasting economic impacts of war

Wars leave deep and lasting scars on economies. Using data for 115 conflicts across 145 countries over the past 75 years, we document large and persistent declines in output, investment, and trade following the onset of war, with no evidence of recov...

Institutions & Political Economy

Efraim Benmelech Joao Monteiro

Published

18.05.26