Ted’s main research focus is African economic development, including work on the economic causes and consequences of violence; the impact of ethnic divisions on local collective action; interactions between health, education, environment, and productivity for the poor; and methods for transparent social science research. He has conducted field work in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and India. Many of the datasets used in his research are posted online, either on the relevant article page (on this website) or on Dataverse.
Meta-Analysis and Public Policy: Reconciling the Evidence on Deworming
Croke, Kevin, Joan Hamory Hicks, Eric Hsu, Michael Kremer, Ricardo Maertens, Edward Miguel, Witold Więcek
Published Paper
African DevelopmentResearch Methodology
The WHO recommends mass drug administration (MDA) in areas with >20% prevalence. Recent Cochrane meta-analyses endorse treatment of infected individuals but recommend against MDA. A theory-agnostic
Destructive behavior, economic decision-making, and judgment under thermal stress
Ingvild Almås, Maximilian Auffhammer, Tessa Bold, Ian Bolliger, Aluma Dembo, Solomon M. Hsiang, Shuhei Kitamura, Edward Miguel & Robert Pickmans
Working Paper
Accumulating evidence indicates that environmental temperature substantially affects economic outcomes and violence, but the reasons for this linkage are only partially understood. While factors exter
Human Capital Affects Religious Identity: Causal Evidence from Kenya
Livia Alfonsi, Michal Bauer, Julie Chytilova, Edward Miguel
2024
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEducation and Human Capital
We study how human capital and economic conditions causally affect the choice of religious denomination. We utilize a longitudinal dataset monitoring the religious history of more than 5,000 Kenyans o
Promoting Reproducibility and Replicability in Political Science
Brodeur, Abel , Kevin Esterling, Jörg Ankel-Peters, Natália Bueno, Scott Desposato, Anna Dreber, Federica Genovese, Donald Green, Matthew Hepplewhite, Fernando Hoces de la Guardia, Magnus Johannesso
2024
Published Paper
This article reviews and summarizes current reproduction and replication practices in political science. We first provide definitions for reproducibility and replicability. We then review data availab
Reproductions and replications at scale
Abel Brodeur, Anna Dreber, Fernando Hoces de la Guardia & Edward Miguel
2024
Published Paper
In 2022, one of us (A.B.) founded the Institute for Replication (I4R) with the primary objective of making reproduction and replication commonplace in the social sciences. Our initial focus was on prominent economics and political science journals. As of December 2023, we have reproduced and replicated over 250 studies published in several leading outlets. Our …
Preparing for an Aging Africa: Data-Driven Priorities for Economic Research and Policy
Madeline Duhon, Edward Miguel, Amos Njuguna, Daniela Pinto Veizaga, Michael Walker
Working Paper
African Development
The over-60 population in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow rapidly in the coming decades, tripling between 2020 and 2050. Despite this explosive projected growth, few countries in the region hav
Money or Power? Choosing Covid-19 aid in Kenya
Susanna Berkouwer, Pierre Biscaye, Eric Hsu, Oliver Kim, Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, Catherine Wolfram
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealth
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, 186 countries implemented direct cash transfers to households, and 181 introduced in-kind programs that lowered the cost of utilities such as electricity, water, tr
Development of the Longitudinal Study of Health and Ageing in Kenya (LOSHAK)
Niranjani Nagarajan, Shane D Burns, Roselyter M Riang’a, Eunice Muthoni Mwangi, Shaheen Sayed, Muthoni Gichu, Kenneth M Langa, Edward Miguel, Anthony K Ngugi, Joshua R Ehrlich
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealth
In Kenya, the number of adults aged ≥60 is expected to nearly quadruple by 2050, making it one of the most rapidly aging countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Accordingly, we designed the Longitudi
Replication games: how to make reproducibility research more systematic
Abel Brodeur, Anna Dreber, Fernando Hoces de la Guardia & Edward Miguel
Published Paper
Research Methodology
In some areas of social science, around half of studies can’t be replicated. A new test-fast, fail-fast initiative aims to show what research is hot — and what’s not.
Survey of open science practices and attitudes in the social sciences
Joel Ferguson, Rebecca Littman, Garret Christensen, Elizabeth Levy Paluck, Nicholas Swanson, Zenan Wang, Edward Miguel, David Birke & John-Henry Pezzuto
Published Paper
Research Methodology
Open science practices such as posting data or code and pre-registering analyses are increasingly prescribed and debated in the applied sciences, but the actual popularity and lifetime usage of these
Scaling Agricultural Policy Interventions
Lauren Falcao Bergquist, Benjamin Faber, Thibault Fally, Matthias Hoelzlein, Edward Miguel, Andres Rodriguez-Clare
African DevelopmentResearch Methodology
Policies aimed at raising agricultural productivity have been a centerpiece in the fight against global poverty. We propose a new approach for quantifying large-scale agricultural policy counterfactua
Donor contracting conditions and public procurement: Causal evidence from Kenyan electrification
Catherine D. Wolfram, Edward Miguel, Eric Hsu, Susanna B. Berkouwer
Working Paper
African Development
There is limited causal evidence on the effects of different public procurement regulations on project quality and value-for-money for projects funded both by national governments and foreign aid dono
Long-Run Effects of Aid: Forecasts and Evidence from Sierra Leone
Katherine Casey, Rachel Glennerster, Edward Miguel, Maarten Voors
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealth
We evaluate the long-run effects of a decentralised approach to economic development called community-driven development-a prominent strategy for delivering foreign aid-by revisiting a randomised comm
Targeting Impact versus Deprivation
Johannes Haushofer, Paul Niehaus, Carlos Paramo, Edward Miguel, and Michael Walker
2022
Working Paper
African DevelopmentResearch Methodology
A large literature has examined how best to target anti-poverty programs to those most deprived in some sense (e.g., consumption). We examine the potential tradeoff between this objective versus targe
The Syrian Refugee Life Study: First Glance
Sarah Stillman, Sandra V. Rozo, Abdulrazzak Tamim, I. Bailey Palmer, Emma Smith, and Edward Miguel
2022
Published Paper
African Development
This paper presents descriptive statistics from the first wave of the Syrian Refugee Life Study (S-RLS), which began in 2020. S-RLS is a longitudinal study that tracks a representative sample of appro
The Economics of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poor Countries
Edward Miguel and Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak
2022
Other
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended health and living standards around the world. This article provides an interim overview of these effects, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries
The illusion of stable fertility preferences
Maximilian W. Müller, Joan Hamory, Jennifer Johnson-Hanks, Edward Miguel
2022
Published Paper
Fertility preferences have long played a key role in models of fertility differentials and change. We examine the stability of preferences over time using rich panel data on Kenyan women’s fertility
End COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, Edward Miguel, Jason Abaluck, Amrita Ahuja, Marcella Alsan, Abhijit Banerjee, Emily Breza, Arun G. Chandrasekhar, Esther Duflo, James Dzansi, Denise Garrett, Paul Goldsmith-Pink
2022
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealth
Vaccines are changing the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in grossly uneven ways. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face considerable obstacles in both receiving and distributing doses. To
Reporting all results efficiently: A RARE proposal to open up the file drawer
David D Laitin, Edward Miguel, Ala' Alrababa'h, Aleksandar Bogdanoski, Sean Grant, Katherine Hoeberling, Cecilia Hyunjung Mo, Don A Moore, Simine Vazire, Jeremy Weinstein, Scott Williamson
2021
Published Paper
While the social sciences have made impressive progress in adopting transparent research practices that facilitate verification, replication, and reuse of materials, the problem of publication bias pe
Improving Research Transparency in the Social Sciences: Registration, Pre-registration, and Multiple Testing Adjustments
Edward Miguel, Garret Christiansen
2021
Research Methodology
Skill Versus Voice in Local Development
Katherine Casey, Rachel Glennerster, Edward Miguel, Maarten Voors
2021
Published Paper
Where the state is weak, traditional authorities control the local provision of public goods. These leaders come from an older, less educated generation and often rule in an authoritarian and exclusio
Self-reported vs Directly Observed Face Mask Use in Kenya
Aleksandra Jakubowski, Dennis Egger, Carolyne Nekesa, Layna Lowe, Michael Walker, Edward Miguel
2021
Published Paper
Although countries in sub-Saharan Africa have so far avoided large-scale outbreaks of COVID-19, as of June 2021, the number of new cases has been surging in multiple nations. The official case count i
Evidence on Research Transparency in Economics
Edward Miguel
2021
Published Paper
Research Methodology
A decade ago, the term “research transparency” was not on economists’ radar screen, but in a few short years a scholarly movement has emerged to bring new open science practices, tools and norms
Elections and Selfishness
Kjetil Bjorvatn, Simon Galle, Lars Ivar Oppedal Berge, Edward Miguel, Daniel Posner, Bertil Tungodden, Kelly Zhang
2020
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
Elections affect the division of resources in society and are occasions for political elites to make appeals rooted in voters’ self-interest. Hence, elections may erode altruistic norms and cause pe
Falling Living Standards during the COVID-19 Crisis: Quantitative Evidence from Nine Developing Countries
Dennis Egger, Edward Miguel, Shana S. Warren, Ashish Shenoy, Elliott Collins, Dean Karlan, Doug Parkerson, A. Mushfiq Mobarak, Günther Fink, Christopher Udry, Michael Walker, Johannes Haushofer, Magd
2021
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealth
Despite numerous journalistic accounts, systematic quantitative evidence on economic conditions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains scarce for most low- and middle-income countries, partly du
A Framework for Open Policy Analysis
Fernando Hoces de la Guardia, Sean Grant, and Edward Miguel
2020
Published Paper
Research Methodology
The evidence-based policy movement promotes the use of empirical evidence to inform policy decision-making. While several social science disciplines are undergoing a “credibility revolution&rd
Twenty Year Economic Impacts of Deworming
Hamory, Joan, Edward Miguel, Michael Walker, Michael Kremer, and Sarah Baird
2021
Published Paper
Education and Human CapitalHealth
This study exploits a randomized school health intervention that provided deworming treatment to Kenyan children and utilizes longitudinal data to estimate impacts on economic outcomes up to 20 years
Research Transparency is on the Rise in Economics
Swanson, Nicholas, Garret Christensen, Rebecca Littman, David Birke, Edward Miguel, Elizabeth Levy Paluck, Zenan Wang
2020
Published Paper
Research Methodology
This study provides a first assessment of awareness of, attitudes toward, perceived norms regarding, and adoption of open science practices within a broadly representative sample of active economics
Pre-results Review at the Journal of Development Economics: Lessons Learned
Bogdanoski, Aleksander, Andrew Foster, Dean Karlan, and Edward Miguel
2019
Working Paper
Research Methodology
A discussion of the 2018-19 JDE Pre-results Review Pilot.
Deepening or Diminishing Ethnic Divides? The Impact of Urban Migration in Kenya
Kramon, Eric, Sarah Baird, Joan Hamory Hicks, and Edward Miguel.
2021
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
The impact of urban migration on ethnic politics is the subject of longstanding debate. “First generation” modernization theories predict that urban migration should reduce ethnic identification a
Using survey questions to measure preferences: Lessons from an experimental validation in Kenya
Michal Bauer, Julie Chytilova, and Edward Miguel
2020
Published Paper
African DevelopmentResearch Methodology
Can a short survey instrument reliably measure a range of fundamental economic preferences across diverse settings? We focus on survey questions that systematically predict behavior in incentivized
Transparency and Reproducibility: Conceptualizing the Problem (Chapter 6) and Potential Solutions (Chapter 7)
Christensen, Garret, and Edward Miguel
2020
Book Chapter
Research Methodology
A broad overview of research transparency and open science issues in the social sciences, across two chapters (Chapters 6 and 7).
Does Electrification Supercharge Economic Development?
Lee, Kenneth, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram
2020
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and Climate
In this paper, we discuss what we can learn from the past decade of microeconomic research on the impacts of household electrification, with the goal of highlighting how future initiatives can be be
Non-economic factors in violence: Evidence from organized crime, suicides and climate in Mexico
Baysan, Ceren, Marshall Burke, Felipe Gonzalez, Solomon Hsiang, and Edward Miguel
2019
Published Paper
Environment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
Organized intergroup violence is almost universally modeled as a calculated act motivated by economic factors. In contrast, it is generally assumed that non-economic factors, such as an individual&r
A study of the impact of data sharing on article citations using journal policies as a natural experiment
Christensen, Garret, Allan Dafoe, Edward Miguel, Don A. Moore, and Andrew K. Rose
2019
Published Paper
Research Methodology
This study estimates the effect of data sharing on the citations of academic articles, using journal policies as a natural experiment. We begin by examining 17 high-impact journals that have adopted
General Equilibrium Effects of Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence from Kenya
Dennis Egger, Johannes Haushofer, Edward Miguel, Paul Niehaus, and Michael Walker
2022
Published Paper
African DevelopmentOtherResearch Methodology
How large economic stimuli generate individual and aggregate responses is a central question in economics, but has not been studied experimentally. We provided one-time cash transfers of about USD 100
Using RCTs to Estimate Long-Run Impacts in Development Economics
Adrien Bouguen, Yue Huang, Michael Kremer, and Edward Miguel
2019
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEducation and Human CapitalHealthResearch Methodology
We assess evidence from randomized control trials (RCTs) on long-run economic productivity and living standards in poor countries. We first document that several studies estimate large positive long-r
Sell Low and Buy High: Arbitrage and Local Price Effects in Kenyan Markets
Burke, Marshall, Lauren Falcao Bergquist, and Edward Miguel
2019
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and Climate
Large and regular seasonal price fluctuations in local grain markets appear to offer African farmers substantial inter-temporal arbitrage opportunities, but these opportunities remain largely unexpl
Economics of Mass Deworming Programs
Ahuja, Amrita, Sarah Baird, Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Kremer, and Edward Miguel
2017
Book Chapter
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and schistosomiasis infections affect more than 1 billion people, mainly in
low- and middle-income countries, particularly school-age children. This chapter discuss
Spillover effects in epidemiology: parameters, study designs, and methodological considerations
Jade Benjamin-Chung, David Berger, Benjamin F. Arnold, Alan E. Hubbard, Stephen P. Luby, Edward Miguel, John M. Colford Jr.
2017
Published Paper
HealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Many public health interventions provide benefits that extend beyond their direct recipients and impact people in close physical or social proximity who did not directly receive the intervention the
Spillover effects on health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review
Jade Benjamin-Chung, Jaynal Abedin, David Berger, Ashley Clark, Veronica Jimenez, Eugene Konagaya, Diana Tran, Benjamin F. Arnold, Alan E. Hubbard, Stephen P. Luby, Edward Miguel and John M. Colford J
2017
Published Paper
HealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Background: Many interventions delivered to improve health may benefit not only direct recipients but also people in close physical or social proximity. Our objective was to review all published lit
Self-Control and Demand for Preventive Health: Evidence from Hypertension in India
Bai, Liang, Benjamin Handel, Edward Miguel, and Gautam Rao
2020
Working Paper
HealthEducation and Human CapitalOther
Self-control problems constitute a potential explanation for the under-investment in preventive health in low-income countries. Behavioral economics offers a tool to solve such problems: commitment
Should the WHO withdraw support for mass deworming?
Kevin Croke, Joan Hamory Hicks, Eric Hsu, Michael Kremer, and Edward Miguel
2017
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
In April 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) department and Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD) department convened a Guidelines Dev
Reevaluating Agricultural Productivity Gaps with Longitudinal Microdata
Joan Hamory Hicks, Marieke Kleemans, Nicholas Y. Li, and Edward Miguel
2020
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalOther
Recent research has pointed to large gaps in labor productivity between the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors in low-income countries, as well as between workers in rural and urban areas. Mo
Commentary: Assessing long-run deworming impacts on education and economic outcomes: a comment on Jullien, Sinclair and Garner (2016)
Sarah Baird, Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Kremer and Edward Miguel
2017
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Jullien, Sinclair and Garner (2016) (henceforth JSG) state that they seek to ‘appraise the methods’ of three recent papers that estimate long-run impacts of mass deworming on educational
Transparency, Reproducibility, and the Credibility of Economics Research
Garret S. Christensen, Edward Miguel
2018
Published Paper
OtherResearch Methodology
There is growing interest in enhancing research transparency and reproducibility in economics and other scientific fields. We survey existing work on these topics within economics, and discuss the e
Does Mass Deworming Affect Child Nutrition? Meta-analysis, Cost-effectiveness, and Statistical Power
Croke, Kevin, Joan Hamory Hicks, Eric Hsu, Michael Kremer, and Edward Miguel
2016
Working Paper
HealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
The WHO has recently debated whether to reaffirm its long-standing recommendation of mass drug administration (MDA) in areas with more than 20% prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (hookworm, wh
Can War Foster Cooperation?
Michael Bauer, Christopher Blattman, Julie Chytilova, Joseph Henrich, Edward Miguel, and Tamar Mitts
2016
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
In the past decade, nearly 20 studies have found a strong, persistent pattern in surveys and behavioral experiments from over 40 countries: individual exposure to war violence tends to increase soci
Appliance Ownership and Aspirations among Electric Grid and Home Solar Households in Rural Kenya
Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram
2016
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and Climate
In this paper, we summarize the results of a recent household appliance survey conducted in Western Kenya to provide descriptive evidence on how rural households with and without
Experimental Evidence on the Economics of Rural Electrification
Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram
2020
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimateResearch Methodology
We present results from an experiment that randomized the expansion of electric grid infrastructure in rural Kenya. Electricity distribution is a canonical example of a natural monopoly. Experimenta
Impacts and Determinants of Health Levels in Low-Income Countries
Pascaline Dupas, Edward Miguel
2017
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Improved health in low-income countries could considerably improve wellbeing and possibly promote economic growth. The last decade has seen a surge in field experiments designed to understand the ba
Analysis of statistical power reconciles drought-conflict results in Africa
Solomon M. Hsiang, Marshall Burke, Edward Miguel, Kyle C. Meng, Mark A. Cane
2016
Working Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimateResearch Methodology
Whether changes in climate substantially shape human conflict is a question of considerable recent interest to both academics and policymakers. Despite a substantial body of evidence for a stro
Methodologies to Evaluate Early Childhood Development Programs
Jere Behrman, Paul Glewwe and Edward Miguel
2007
Published Paper
HealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
This chapter is devoted to discussions of how assessments of early childhood development (ECD) interventions in developing countries can be improved and extended. There are estimates
Willingness to pay for cleaner water in less developed countries: systematic review of experimental evidence
Clair Null, Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel, Jorge Garcia Hombrados, Robyn Meeks, and Alix Petersen Zwane
2012
Published Paper
Environment and ClimateHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Diarrheal diseases kill two million children every year despite the availability of effective and inexpensive technologies to improve water quality and limit the spread of pathogens. There
Tracking, Attrition and Data Quality in the Kenyan Life Panel Survey Round 1 (KLPS-1)
Sarah Baird, Joan Hamory Hicks, and Edward Miguel
2008
Working Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Understanding the possible pitfalls of survey data is critical for empirical research. Among other things, poor data quality can lead to biased regression estimates, potentially resulting
Ethnically biased? Experimental Evidence from Kenya
Lars Ivar Oppedal Berge, Kjetil Bjorvatn, Simon Galle, Edward Miguel, Daniel Posner, Bertil Tungodden and Kelly Zhang
2019
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
Ethnicity has been shown to shape political, social, and economic behavior in Africa, but the underlying mechanisms remain contested. We utilize lab experiments to isolate one mechanism—an ind
The case for mass treatment of intestinal helminths in endemic areas
Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Two articles published earlier this year in the International Journal of Epidemiology have re-ignited the debate over the World Health Organization’s long-held recommendation of mass-treatment
Global non-linear effect of temperature on economic production
Marshall Burke, Solomon Hsiang, and Edward Miguel
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and Climate
We show that overall economic productivity is nonlinear in temperature for all countries, with productivity peaking at an annual average temperature of 13 C and declining strongly at higher temperat
War and Deforestation in Sierra Leone
Robin Burgess, Edward Miguel, and Charlotte Stanton
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
The impact of armed conflict on the environment is of major public policy importance. We use a geographically disaggregated dataset of civil war violence together with satellite imagery of land cove
Estimating spillover effects in a causal inference framework: a systematic review and methods synthesis
Edward Miguel, Jade Benjamin-Chung, Benjamin F Arnold, David Berger, Ashley Clark, Lauren Falcao, Veronica Jimenez, Diana Tran, Eugene Konagaya, Alan Hubbard, Stephen P Luby, John M Colford, Jr
2015
Research Methodology
Worms at work: Long-run impacts of a child health investment
Sarah Baird, Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Kremer, and Edward Miguel
2016
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
This study estimates long-run impacts of a child health investment, exploiting community-wide experimental variation in school-based deworming. The program increased labor supply among men and educa
Commentary: Deworming externalities and schooling impacts in Kenya: a comment on Aiken et al. (2015) and Davey et al. (2015)
Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Kremer, and Edward Miguel
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Aiken et al. (2015) and Davey et al (2015) draw the conclusion that the evidence for a relationship between deworming and school attendance is “weak” based on two fundamental errors in t
When Should Governments Subsidize Health? The Case of Mass Deworming
Amrita Ahuja, Sarah Baird, Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel, and Shawn Powers
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
We discuss how evidence and theory can be combined to provide insight on the appropriate subsidy level for health products, focusing on the specific case of deworming. Although intestinal
Promoting an Open Research Culture
B. A. Nosek, G. Alter, G. C. Banks, D. Borsboom, S. D. Bowman, S. J. Breckler, S. Buck, C. D. Chambers, G. Chin, G. Christensen, M. Contestabile, A. Dafoe, E. Eich, J. Freese, R. Glennerster, D. Gorof
2015
Published Paper
Research Methodology
The journal article is central to the research communication process. Guidelines for authors define what aspects of the research process should be made available to the community to evaluate, critiq
War and Local Collective Action in Sierra Leone: A Comment on the Use of Coefficient Stability Approaches
Felipe Gonzalez and Edward Miguel
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology
In a study of the effect of civil war exposure on local collective action outcomes in Sierra Leone, Bellows and Miguel (2009) employ a coefï¬cient stability approac
Reconciling climate-conflict meta-analyses: reply to Buhaug et al.
Solomon M. Hsiang, Marshall Burke, Edward Miguel
2014
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology
A comment by Buhaug et al. attributes disagreement between our recent analyses and their review articles to biased decisions in our meta-analysis and a difference of opinion regarding statistical ap
Climate and Conflict
Burke, Marshall, Solomon M. Hsiang, and Edward Miguel
2015
Other
Environment and ClimatePolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology
We review the emerging literature on climate and conflict.We consider multiple types of human conflict, including both interpersonal conflict, such as assault and murder, and intergroup conflict, in
Electrification for ‘Under Grid’ Households in Rural Kenya
Kenneth Lee, Eric Brewer, Carson Christiano, Francis Meyo, Edward Miguel, Matthew Podolsky, Javier Rosa, and Catherine Wolfram
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and Climate
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 600 million people live without electricity. Despite ambitions of governments and donors to invest in rural electrification, decisions about how to extend electricity access a
Temperature and violence
Mark A. Cane, Solomon M. Hsiang, David B. Lobell, Kyle C. Meng, Edward Miguel, Shanker Satyanath
2014
Published Paper
Environment and ClimatePolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology
Promoting Transparency in Social Science Research
E. Miguel, C. Camerer, K. Casey, J. Cohen, K. M. Esterling, A. Gerber, R. Glennerster, D. P. Green, M. Humphreys, G. Imbens, D. Laitin, T. Madon, L. Nelson, B. A. Nosek, M. Petersen, R. Sedlmayr, J. P
2014
Published Paper
Research Methodology
We survey recent progress toward research transparency in the social sciences and make the case for standards and practices that help realign scholarly incentives with scholarly values. There is gro
Reconciling Temperature-conflict Results in Kenya
Solomon M. Hsiang, Marshall Burke, and Edward Miguel
2013
Working Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
Theisen (JPR, 2012) recently constructed a novel high-resolution data set of intergroup and political conflict in Kenya (1989-2004) and examined whether the risk of conflict onset and incidence resp
The Potential of Rapid Screening Methods for Schistosoma Mansoni in Western Kenya
Simon Brooker, Edward A. Miguel, Polycarp Waswa, Robert Namunyu, Sylvie Moulin, Helen Guyatt, and Donald A.P. Bundy
2001
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
Data from 46 schools in western Kenya were used to investigate the performance of school-based questionnaires, on reported blood in stool and water-contact patterns, as indicators of the prevalence
Epidemiology of Single and Multiple Species of Helminth Infections Among School Children in Busia District, Kenya
Simon Brooker, Edward A. Miguel, Sylvie Moulin, Alfred I. Louba, Donald A.P. Bundy, and Michael Kremer
2000
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
OBJECTIVE: To describe the patterns of single and multiple helminth infection in school children from Busia District, Kenya.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional school survey using a randomly selected sampl
Anaemia in Schoolchildren in Eight Countries in Africa and Asia
Andrew Hall, Emily Bobrow, Simon Brooker, Matthew Jukes, Kate Nokes, Jane Lambo, Helen Guyatt, Don Bundy, Sam Adjei, Su-Tung Wen, Satoto, Hertanto Subagio, Mohammed Zen Rafiluddin, Ted Miguel, Sylvie
2001
Published Paper
HealthEducation and Human Capital
OBJECTIVE: To report on the haemoglobin concentrations and prevalence of anaemia in schoolchildren in eight countries in Africa and Asia.
DESIGN: Blood samples were collected during surveys o
Economic Shocks and Democratization in Africa
Manuel Barron, Edward Miguel and Shanker Satyanath
2013
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
The literature on the determinants of democratization was long dominated by a view that claimed a central role for economic development (“modernization”). Acemoglu et al. (2008, 2009) ha
Political Competition and Ethnic Identification in Africa
Benn Eifert, Edward Miguel, and Daniel N. Posner
2010
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
This article draws on data from over 35,000 respondents in 22 public opinion surveys in 10 countries and finds strong evidence that ethnic identities in Africa are strengthened by exposure to politi
Healing the Wounds: Learning from Sierra Leone’s Post-war Institutional Reforms
Katherine Casey, Rachel Glennerster, and Edward Miguel
2016
Book Chapter
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
While its recent history of civil war, chronic poverty and corrupt governance would cause many to dismiss Sierra Leone as a hopeless case, the country's economic and political performance over t
The Value of Democracy: Evidence from Road Building in Kenya
Robin Burgess, Remi Jedwab, Edward Miguel, Ameet Morjaria, and Gerard Padró i Miquel
2015
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
Ethnic favoritism is seen as antithetical to development. This paper provides credible quantification of the extent of ethnic favoritism using data on road building in Kenyan districts across the 19
Political Competition and Ethnic Identification in Africa (Book Chapter)
Benn Eifert, Edward Miguel, and Daniel N. Posner
2013
Book Chapter
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
Ethnic identities are believed to be powerful motivators of behavior in Africa, but the source of their salience in political and social affairs remains debated. One perspective holds that ethnic id
Collective Action in Diverse Sierra Leone Communities
Rachel Glennerster, Edward Miguel, and Alexander D. Rothenberg
2013
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalPolitical Economy and Conflict
Scholars have identified ethnic divisions as a leading cause of underdevelopment, due partially to their adverse effects on public goods. We investigate this issue in post-war Sierra Leone, one of t
Risky Transportation Choices and the Value of a Statistical Life
Gianmarco León and Edward Miguel
2017
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalOther
This paper exploits an unusual transportation setting to generate some of the first revealed preference value of a statistical life (VSL) estimates from a low-income setting. We estimate the trade-o
Quantifying the Influence of Climate on Human Conflict
Solomon M. Hsiang, Marshall Burke, and Edward Miguel
2013
Published Paper
Environment and ClimatePolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology
A rapidly growing body of research examines whether human conflict can be affected by climatic changes. Drawing from archaeology, criminology, economics, geography, history, political science, and p
Do Cash Transfers Improve Birth Outcomes? Evidence from Matched Vital Statistics, Social Security and Program Data
Verónica Amarante, Marco Manacorda, Edward Miguel, and Andrea Vigorito
2016
Published Paper
HealthEducation and Human CapitalOther
There is limited empirical evidence on whether cash transfers to poor pregnant women improve children's birth outcomes and potentially help weaken the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Using a
Reshaping Institutions: Evidence on Aid Impacts Using a Preanalysis Plan
Katherine Casey, Rachel Glennerster, and Edward Miguel
2012
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology
Despite their importance, there is limited evidence on how institutions can be strengthened. Evaluating the effects of specific reforms is complicated by the lack of exogenous variation in instituti
Incentivizing Safe Sex: a Randomized Trial of Conditional Cash Transfers for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention in Rural Tanzania
Damien de Walque, William H. Dow, Rose Nathan, Ramadhani Abdul, Faraji Abilahi, Erick Gong, Zachary Isdahl, Julian Jamison, Boniphace Jullu, Suneeta Krishnan, Albert Majura, Edward Miguel, Jeanne Monc
2012
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluated the use of conditional cash transfers as an HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention strategy to incentivise safe sex.
DESIGN: An unblinded, individually
You’ve Earned It: Estimating the Impact of Human Capital on Social Preferences
Pamela Jakiela, Edward Miguel, and Vera L. te Velde
2014
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
We combine data from a randomized evaluation and a laboratory experiment to measure the causal impact of human capital on respect for earned property rights, a component of social preferences with i
Incorporating Climate Uncertainty into Estimates of Climate Change Impacts
Marshall Burke, John Dykema, David Lobell, Edward Miguel, and Shanker Satyanath
2015
Published Paper
Environment and ClimateOtherResearch Methodology
Quantitative estimates of the impacts of climate change on economic outcomes are important for public policy. We show that the vast majority of estimates fail to account for well-established uncerta
Education as Liberation?
Willa Friedman, Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel, and Rebecca Thornton
2016
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalPolitical Economy and Conflict
This paper studies the political and social impacts of increased education by utilizing a randomized girls’ merit scholarship programme in Kenya that raised test scores and secondary scho
The Price of Political Opposition: Evidence from Venezuela’s Maisanta
Chang-Tai Hsieh, Edward Miguel, Daniel Ortega, and Francisco Rodriguez
2011
Published Paper
Political Economy and Conflict
In 2004, the Hugo Chávez regime in Venezuela distributed the list of several million voters who had attempted to remove him from office throughout the government bureaucracy, allegedly to ide
Social Engineering: Evidence from a Suite of Take-up Experiments in Kenya
Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel, Sendhil Mullainathan, Clair Null, and Alix Peterson Zwane
2011
Working Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimateHealthEducation and Human Capital
Many effective health products and behaviors available through the private market are not widely adopted in less developed countries. For example, fewer than 10% of households in our Kenyan study ar
Spring Cleaning: Rural Water Impacts, Valuation, and Property Rights Institutions
Michael Kremer, Jessica Leino, Edward Miguel, and Alix Peterson
2011
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimateHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Using a randomized evaluation in Kenya, we measure health impacts of spring protection, an investment that improves source water quality. We also estimate households' valuation of spring protect
Government Transfers and Political Support
Marco Manacorda, Edward Miguel, and Andrea Vigorito
2011
Published Paper
HealthEducation and Human CapitalOtherPolitical Economy and Conflict
This paper estimates the impact of a large anti-poverty cash transfer program, the Uruguayan PANES, on political support for the government that implemented it. Using the discontinuity in program as
The Long-run Impact of Bombing Vietnam
Edward Miguel and Gerard Roland
2011
Published Paper
OtherPolitical Economy and Conflict
We investigate the impact of U.S. bombing on later economic development in Vietnam. The Vietnam War featured the most intense bombing campaign in military history and had massive humanitarian costs. W
Re-examining Economic Shocks and Civil Conflict
Edward Miguel and Shanker Satyanath
2011
Published Paper
Environment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
Miguel, Satyanath, and Ernest Sergenti (2004), henceforth MSS, show that economic growth is negatively related to civil conflict in Africa, using annual rainfall variation as an IV for growth. Anton
Civil War Exposure and Violence
Edward Miguel, Sebastian M. Saiegh, and Shanker Satyanath
2011
Published Paper
OtherPolitical Economy and Conflict
In recent years scholars have begun to focus on the consequences of individuals' exposure to civil war, including its severe health and psychological consequences. Our innovation is to move beyo
Being Surveyed Can Change Later Behavior and Related Parameter Estimates
Alix Peterson Zwane, Jonathan Zinman, Eric Van Dusen, William Pariente, Clair Null, Edward Miguel, Michael Kremer, Dean S. Karlan, Richard Hornbeck, Xavier Gine, Esther Duflo, Florencia Devoto, Bruno
2011
Published Paper
Environment and ClimateHealthEducation and Human CapitalOtherResearch Methodology
Does completing a household survey change the later behavior of those surveyed? In three field studies of health and two of microlending, we randomly assigned subjects to be surveyed about health an
Civil War
Christopher Blattman and Edward Miguel
2010
Published Paper
Political Economy and Conflict
Most nations have experienced an internal armed conflict since 1960. Yet while civil war is central to many nations' development, it has stood at the periphery of economics research and teaching
War and Local Collective Action in Sierra Leone
John Bellows and Edward Miguel
2009
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
We study the brutal 1991-2002 Sierra Leone civil war using nationally representative household data on conflict experiences, postwar economic outcomes, local politics and collective action. Individu
Deworming and Development: Asking the Right Questions, Asking the Questions Right
Donald A. P. Bundy, Michael Kremer, Hoyt Bleakley, Matthew C. H. Jukes, and Edward Miguel
2009
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Two billion people are infected with intestinal worms. In many areas, the majority of schoolchildren are infected, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for school-based mass deworming.
Warming Increases the Risk of Civil War in Africa
Marshall B. Burke, Edward Miguel, Shanker Satyanath, John A. Dykema, and David B. Lobell
2009
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
Armed conflict within nations has had disastrous humanitarian consequences throughout much of the world. Here we undertake the first comprehensive examination of the potential impact of global clima
Incentives to Learn
Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel, and Rebecca Thorton
2009
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
We study a randomized evaluation of a merit scholarship program in which Kenyan girls who scored well on academic exams had school fees paid and received a grant. Girls showed substantial exam score
Individual Ability and Selection into Migration in Kenya
Edward Miguel and Joan Hamory
2009
Working Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalOther
This study exploits a new longitudinal dataset to examine selective migration among 1,500 Kenyan youth originally living in rural areas. We examine whether migration rates are related to individual
Orphans and Schooling in Africa: A Longitudinal Analysis
David K. Evans and Edward Miguel
2007
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
AIDS deaths could have a major impact on economic development by affecting the human capital accumulation of the next generation. We estimate the impact of parent death on primary school participati
Corruption, Norms and Legal Enforcement: Evidence from Diplomatic Parking Tickets
Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel
2007
Published Paper
OtherPolitical Economy and Conflict
We study cultural norms and legal enforcement in controlling corruption by analyzing the parking behavior of United Nations officials in Manhattan. Until 2002, diplomatic immunity protected UN diplo
The Impact of Child Health and Nutrition on Education in Less Developed Countries
Paul Glewwe and Edward A. Miguel
2007
Book Chapter
HealthEducation and Human Capital
Hundreds of millions of children in less developed countries suffer from poor health and nutrition. Children in most less developed countries also complete far fewer years of schooling, and learn le
The Electoral Cost of War: Iraq Casualties and the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election
David Karol and Edward Miguel
2007
Published Paper
OtherPolitical Economy and Conflict
Many contend that President Bush's reelection and increased vote share in 2004 prove that the Iraq War was either electorally irrelevant or aided him. We present contrary evidence. Focusing on t
The Illusion of Sustainability
Michael Kremer and Edward Miguel
2007
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human Capital
We use a randomized evaluation of a Kenyan deworming program to estimate peer effects in technology adoption and to shed light on foreign aid donors' movement towards sustainable community provi
Poverty and Violence: An Overview of Recent Research and Implications for Foreign Aid
Edward Miguel
2007
Book Chapter
Environment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
Dozens of countries around the world have suffered civil conflicts in the past few decades, with the highest concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa. The direct humanitarian consequences of war for surv
War and Institutions: New Evidence from Sierra Leone
John Bellows and Edward Miguel
2006
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
Scholars of economic development have argued that war can have adverse impacts on later economic performance: war destroys physical capital and infrastructure and disrupts human capital accumulation
Anemia and School Participation
Gustavo J. Bobonis, Edward Miguel, and Charu Puri-Sharma
2006
Published Paper
HealthEducation and Human Capital
Anemia is among the most widespread health problems for children in developing countries. This paper evaluates the impact of a randomized health intervention delivering iron supplementation and dewo
Poverty and Crime in 19th Century Germany
Halvor Mehlum, Edward Miguel, and Ragnar Torvik
2006
Published Paper
Environment and ClimateOtherPolitical Economy and Conflict
We estimate the impact of poverty on crime in 19th century Bavaria, Germany. Rainfall is used as an instrumental variable for grain (rye) prices to address econometric identification problems in the
Does Industrialization Build or Destroy Social Networks?
Edward Miguel, Paul Gertler, and David I. Levine
2006
Published Paper
Other
This article estimates the relationship between changes in industrialization and changes in social networks measures in Indonesia during 1985-97 using repeated cross sections of nationally represent
Book Review: Market Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Theory and Evidence by Marcel Fafchamps
Edward Miguel
2006
Other
African DevelopmentOther
Ethnic Diversity and Poverty Reduction
Edward Miguel
2006
Book Chapter
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
This essay begins with a discussion of the recent social science literature on the impact of ethnic, racial, and religious divisions, and then proposes a set of policies that less-developed countrie
Who are Russia’s Entrepreneurs?
Simeon Djankov, Edward Miguel, Yingyi Qian, Gerard Roland, and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya
2005
Published Paper
Other
Social scientists studying entrepreneurship have emphasized three distinct sets of variables: the institutional environment, sociological variables, and personal and psychological characteristics. W
Ethnic Diversity, Social Sanctions, and Public Goods in Kenya
Edward Miguel and Mary Kay Gugerty
2005
Published Paper
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
This paper examines ethnic diversity and local public goods in rural western Kenya. The identification strategy relies on the stable historically determined patterns of ethnic land settlement. Ethni
Does Social Capital Promote Industrialization? Evidence from a Rapid Industrializer
Edward Miguel, Paul Gertler, and David I. Levine
2005
Published Paper
Other
A new stylized fact in development economics is the importance of social capital in promoting economic growth. This paper examines the effect of social capital on industrialization in Indonesia. We
Health, Education, and Economic Development
Edward Miguel
2005
Book Chapter
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalOther
The volume Health and Economic Growth: Findings and Policy Implications is evidence of the growing awareness within economics of the important connections between health and poverty in less develope
Poverty and Witch Killing
Edward Miguel
2005
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
This study uses rainfall variation to estimate the impact of income shocks on murder in rural Tanzania. Extreme rainfall (drought or flood) leads to a large increase in the murder of "witches&q
Worms: Identifying Impacts on Education and Health in the Presence of Treatment Externalities
Edward Miguel and Michael Kremer
2004
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalResearch Methodology
Intestinal helminths–including hookworm, roundworm, whipworm, and schistosomiasis–infect more than one-quarter of the world's population. Studies in which medical treatment is random
Economic Shocks and Civil Conflict: An Instrumental Variables Approach
Edward Miguel, Shanker Satyanath, and Ernest Sergenti
2004
Published Paper
African DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict
Estimating the impact of economic conditions on the likelihood of civil conflict is difficult because of endogeneity and omitted variable bias. We use rainfall variation as an instrumental variable
Tribe or Nation? Nation Building and Public Goods in Kenya Versus Tanzania
Edward Miguel
2004
Published Paper
African DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalPolitical Economy and Conflict
This article examines how government policies affect ethnic relations by comparing outcomes across two nearby districts, one in Kenya and one in Tanzania, using colonial-era boundary placement as a
Comment on: Social Capital and Growth
Edward Miguel
2003
Other
Other
Reply to Sutton et al.: Relationship between temperature and conflict is robust
Marshall Burke, Edward Miguel, Shanker Satyanath, John Dykema, David Lobell
2010