In this episode of Sean Carroll’s Mindscape Podcast, Ted Miguel dives deep into the world of development economics, sharing how randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are transforming the way we understand and tackle global poverty. Drawing on decades of fieldwork in sub-Saharan Africa, Ted unpacks the power of simple, cost-effective interventions like deworming pills and cash transfers. He reflects on the evolution of development economics, and how science can meaningfully inform public policy.
Lancet Profile: Sarah Baird – understanding, action, and optimism
This recent Lancet profile featuring Sarah Baird traces her personal and professional journey that led her to become a leading voice in global health and development economics. As featured in the article, a pivotal moment came during her PhD at UC Berkeley, when she spent six months in Busia, Kenya, working under the mentorship of Edward Miguel during the first data collection round of the Kenya Life Panel Survey (KLPS). That immersive fieldwork experience shaped her commitment to causal evidence and policy impact, launching a career focused on improving adolescent health through rigorous research.
Publication in The Economic Journal
February 5, 2025
NHH
Other
Document/Website
A recent study published in The Economic Journal investigates the direct impact of temperature on economic decision-making and destructive behavior by Ingvild Almås, Maximilian Auffhammer, Tessa Bold, Ian Bolliger, Aluma Dembo, Solomon M Hsiang, Shuhei Kitamura, Edward Miguel, Robert Pickmans.
Allegedly does not replicate | Episode 9
In this episode, we sit down with Ted Miguel, a prominent economist and a leading voice in open science, to explore the transformative role of pre-analysis plans and other open science initiatives in research. We discuss how these practices are reshaping the social sciences by fostering transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration. Ted shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities that come with implementing open science frameworks and reflects on their broader impact on academic integrity and policy relevance.
Whether you’re a researcher, a student, or simply curious about the future of scientific inquiry, this episode offers valuable perspectives on how we can all contribute to a more transparent and reliable body of knowledge. Tune in to join the conversation!
Listen to the podcast episode here.
Watch the podcast episode here.
A massive basic income experiment in Africa | Dennis Egger (Oxford University)
Visit this page to join a village fundraiser and help send life changing cash to 164 families in a Kenya directly, no strings attached.
The effects of these transfers are studied and recorded in detail, revolutionizing our understanding of the macroeconomic effects of cash transfers.
How economic history can benefit people today and generations to come
In the segment at 4:34, Professor Ted Miguel offers a concise analysis on conflict and recovery, drawing lessons from economic history to highlight resilience and growth.
TBCLIVE: TBC News, July 11, 2024 | From 10:00pm – 10:30pm
Ted’s talk starts at 19:30. He mentioned that Artificial Intelligence is the future and will impact research world and policy.
TBC: Africa Evidence Summit | Lakutanisha Watafiti | Tathimini Katika Sera Yapigwa Chapuo
Ted’s talk begins at 04:48. He highlighted why the Africa Evidence Summit is so exciting: 1. Most of the research presented is conducted by African scholars within a global collaborative framework, and 2. CEGA is at the forefront of utilizing high-quality data and advanced methodologies, while the new generation is generating a wealth of new insights.
Backstory: Edward Miguel and Paul Niehaus on the General Equilibrium Effects of Cash Transfers
In this episode of backstory, host Aakash Bhalothia interviews development economists Edward Miguel and Paul Niehaus about their Frisch award-winning paper, “General Equilibrium Effects of Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence from Kenya.” They discuss the paper’s groundbreaking findings on the macroeconomic impacts of cash transfers in rural Kenya. The conversation delves into how the authors started working together, designing long-term experiments, and the broader motivations behind Ted and Paul’s research. The paper is co-authored with Dennis Egger, Johannes Haushofer, and Michael Walker. Here is the link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3982/ECTA17945
Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research
December 31, 2023
Einstein Foundation Award
Other
Document/Website
The Einstein Foundation Berlin is to honor Belgian bioinformatician Yves Moreau, the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences, and the Responsible Research Assessment Initiative with this year’s Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research 2023.
Does heat make us more aggressive? Researchers put it to the test
August 7, 2023
npr
Other
Audio
Periods of sweltering temperatures like the current global heat wave seem to drive up civil conflicts. But why? To find out, researchers put thousands of people in hot rooms – with surprising results.