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.
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