November 2013

Featured Event & Videos 
 
The sixth in the Global Empowerment Meeting series, GEM13 brought together 100 senior policy makers, business leaders, and development experts to discuss new strategies for accelerating growth and unlocking the potential of developing countries. Richard Thaler and Sendhil Mullainathan talked behavioral economics. Ricardo Hausmann and Robert Boyd led a panel on Harnessing Know-How. Larry Summers shared his thoughts on the global economy and fiscal debt. Banny Bannerjee and other design experts discussed innovative solutions for systemic global problems. Asim Khwaja, Nathan Nunn & David Yanagizawa-Drott discussed how beliefs and culture shape global prosperity. Marcela Escobari showcased the Atlas online and its new features. MDGs and poverty were a hot topic for Vuk Jeremic, Nancy Birdsall, Homi Kharas and Lant Pritchett. Niall Ferguson examined the global economic situation from an historical perspective and Matt Andrews detailed the limits of institutional reform. Watch videos >> 
Featured Publication
 
New research by Rema Hanna and Shing-Yi Wang reveals that college students who cheat on a simple task have a preference to work in government. The research is also predictive of fraudulent behaviors by real government officials. In a study involving more than 600 college students in Bangalore, India, those who cheated in a dice rolling game were 6.3 percent more likely to want government jobs. It also revealed that questioning students about corruption was ineffective in predicting their behavior. The research offers a key policy insight: government agencies could benefit by a recruitment and screening process that stresses character above ability. Read more | Media coverage
Featured Publication
 
Uganda has been a public sector reform leader in Africa. It has pursued reforms actively and consistently for three decades now, and has produced many laws, processes and structures that are 'best in class' in Africa (and beyond). The problem is that many of the reforms have been limited to form instead of function - producing new institutions that perform poorly and yield limited impact. Data shows that in areas such as civil service and public administration, public financial management, revenue management, procurement, and anti-corruption, laws are often not being implemented, processes are poorly executed, and there is insufficient follow-up to make sure that new mechanisms work as intended. This research paper by Matt Andrews and Lawrence Bategeka suggests government should reframe its reform agenda to address these limitations and close the implementation gap between what Uganda's system looks like and how it functions. Read more >>    
Featured Book
 
Why do successful people get things done at the last minute? Why does poverty persist? Why do organizations get stuck firefighting? Why do the lonely find it hard to make friends? These questions seem unconnected, yet Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir show that they are all examples of the psychological reaction to scarcity. Drawing on cutting-edge research from behavioral science and economics, Mullainathan and Shafir show that scarcity creates a similar psychology for everyone struggling to manage with less than they need. Just as busy people fail to manage their time efficiently for the same reasons, the poor and those maxed out on credit cards fail to manage their money. Read more | Video

Who will grow next?

Who will grow next?

Ricardo Hausmann talks economic growth with John Authers of the Financial Times

Building a State with Disruptive Innovation

Greg Larson, Peter Biar Ajak, Lant Pritchett

Do Political Protests Matter? 

David Yanagizawa-Drott, et al 

Graduate Student Luncheon Seminar

with Michael Clemens

Fri, Nov 22   |  11:45am-1pm  

Perkins Room, Rubenstein  

Executive Education

Rethinking Financial Inclusion: Smart Design for Policy & Practice

Feb 23 - 28   |  Apply now   

Watch video

This chart is amazing news for our health cost problem

Amitabh Chandra - Washington Post   

Warnings about growth
in China

Lant Pritchett, Larry Summers - Fox Business News   

A more adventurous state

Lant Pritchett - Financial Express

Sharing knowhow is key to Mexico's growth     

Ricardo Hausmann - Financial Times  

 Like us on Facebook View our videos on YouTube Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn 

 
The Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University is a university-wide center that works to advance the understanding of development challenges and offer viable solutions to problems of global poverty.