February 17, 2017 (links edition #9)

It is basic income mania – Shanta’s new blog, a sobering poll of 42 US-based economists (courtesy of Arup Banerji), a couple of reflections on India’s economic survey’s UBI chapter, and the unbundling of the results from last June’s UBI referendum is Switzerland (hint: UBIs are trendy among the youth).

Three reasons for universal basic income, Shanta Devarajan, Brookings Future Development Blog, Feb 13.

Universal Basic Income, IGM Forum, Chicago Booth

Universal Basic Income: What Would Mahatma Gandhi Do?, Todd Moss, 10th February 2017, cgdev.org

Universal basic income in India: An idea whose time has not come, Ajay Shah, 12th February 2017, ajayshahblog

The Swiss Universal Basic Income Vote 2016: What’s Next?, Che Wagner, 7th February 2017, medium.com

 

A couple of new evaluations of DFID-supported cash and nutrition programs, with the former in particular receiving high-quality ratings.

The effects of DFID’s cash transfer programmes on poverty and vulnerability, 12th January 2017, Independent Commission for Aid Impact

Impact Evaluation of the DFID Programme to Accelerate Improved Nutrition for the Extreme Poor in Bangladesh, January 2017, MQSUN Briefing 05, Institute of Development Studies

 

Some handy one-pagers, including on OPM’s shock-related work and on beneficiaries’ misunderstanding of conditions.

Conceptualizing shock-responsive social protection, Valentina Barca, February 2017, One Pager 344, International Policy Center for Inclusive Growth

The unseen gender impact of conditionality: extra-official conditions, Tara Patricia Cookson, February 2017, One Pager 345, International Policy Center for Inclusive Growth

 

Some interesting materials on labor markets, including David McKenzie’s ALMPs ppt, minimum wage (non)compliance in Italy, wage inequality in ECA, the use of big data in India, and an RCT on youth employment in Kenya (by Maddalena Honorati and colleagues)

How Active Should Our Active Labor Market Policies Be in a Globalizing World?, David McKenzie, 7th February 2017, Policy Research Talk, World Bank

The Dog That Barks Doesn’t Bite: Coverage and Compliance of Sectoral Minimum Wages in Italy, Andrea Garnero, January 2017, IZA Discussion Paper Series 10511

Temporary Jobs, Institutions, and Wage Inequality within Education Groups in Central-Eastern Europe, Cristiano Perugini and Fabrizio Pompei, April 2017, World Development Volume 92 Pages 40-59

Toward Labor Market Policy 2.0: The Potential for Using Online Job-Portal Big Data to Inform Labor Market Policies in India, Shinsaku Nomura, Saori Imaizumi, Ana Carolina Areias and Futoshi Yamauchi, February 2017, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7966

A Firm of One’s Own: Experimental Evidence on Credit Constraints and Occupational Choice, Andrew Brudevold-Newman, Maddalena Honorati, Pamela Jakiela, Owen Ozier. February 2017, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7977

Short inequality materials including on Dani Rodrik’s classic trade-offs, HelpAge’s tax work. And more on HelpAge, ith their results from social pensions reviews in Asia

Is Global Equality the enemy of National Equality?, Dani Rodrik, January 2017, rodrik.typepad.com

Inequality and redistribution: taxes and transfers, February 2017, One Pager 342, International Policy Center for Inclusive Growth

Work, family and social protection in Asia, 2016, helpage.org

 

New materials on mobility, including evidence on migration from Nepal, the concept of visas as development assistance, a piece on historical antecedents of migration-wages links, and an anthropological reflection on refugees.

Push and Pull: A Study of International Migration from Nepal, Maheshwor Shrestha, February 2017, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7965

Work Visas as Aid: Fight Poverty Abroad with Economic Growth at Home, Michael Clemens and Hannah Postel, 8th February 2017, cgdev.org

Kicking out immigrants doesn’t raise wages, 4th February 2017, The Economist

Refugees in America, Joyce Carol Oates, 13th February 2017

 

A blog and report on key principles for identification

Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development: Toward the Digital Age, February 2017, World Bank and Center for Global Development

Ten Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development, Alan Gelb, Vyjayanti T Desai, Julia Clark and Anna Diofasi, 8th February 2017, cgdev.org

 

Some humanitarian-related studies, featuring a PLOS article on the impact of in-kind food in Kenya (hint: cash does it better), and interesting report on applying the concepts of change and complexity in the humanitarian sphere – with a bonus blog on systems and complexity from the OECD.

Assessing the Impact of U.S. Food Assistance Delivery Policies on Child Mortality in Northern Kenya, Alex Nikulkov, Christopher B. Barrett, Andrew G. Mude and Lawrence M. Wein, 20th December 2016, PLoS ONE 11(12)
Changing Humanitarian Action?, 31st ALNAP Annual Meeting Background Paper

Out of complexity, a third way?, Bill Below, 7th February 2017, OECD Insights

 

Finally, A rebuttal to Duflo and colleagues that 2016 was ‘a great year for development’ (shared in Friday links past editions), and a compilation of some of the most remarkable talks and interviews by the late Hans Rosling

How to end poverty? Give the poor cash and access to mobile money and text them reminders to save and take their meds – not., Indermit Gill, 6th February 2017, brookings.edu

Hans Rosling Brings Life, Humor, Sword-Swallowing to Global Health Statistics, 30th January 2012, PBS NewsHour