The World Bank blog post explores the indirect effects of cash transfer programs, focusing on how benefits extend beyond direct recipients. It examines new research findings that challenge previous assumptions, revealing that spillover effects are often more significant for non-recipients in treated areas. The discussion highlights the complexity of measuring these impacts and the importance of considering heterogeneous outcomes when evaluating such programs.

BERKELEY, CA (20 June 2024) – To commemorate World Refugee Day, the Syrian Refugee Life Study (S-RLS) today provided open access to four years of comprehensive panel data from its longitudinal study of Syrian refugee households. Seeking to address a critical gap in evidence about displaced communities, the researchers behind the study hope to encourage more research into the refugee crisis and inform better policy and practice.

“We know that institutions matter: They transform the [scientific] dedication of individuals to the next generation,” remarked representatives of the Einstein Foundation Berlin as they awarded the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research to BITSS on March 14.

Edward (Ted) Miguel is the Oxfam Professor in Environmental and Resource Economics and co-Director of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) at Berkeley. After a famous early paper with Michael Kremer had him known as “that worms guy”, Ted has gone on to study a wide range of topics on African economic development, including health, infrastructure, ethnic divisions, violence (and even witchcraft), agricultural productivity, and vocational education. He has also been a leading voice in the movement towards greater transparency (helping popularize pre-analysis plans), and done important work on the environment and development before it was even trendy to do so. 

A podcast about how Busia, Kenya, became the place where economists pioneered a more scientific way to study huge problems, from contaminated water to low graduation rates, to HIV transmission. And how that research changed government programs and aid efforts around the world.