Center for Effective Global Action
January 2014 - Impact Note
UPCOMING EVENTS
Revealing the Demand for Pro-Poor Innovations

Join us for a one-day symposium on March 7, 2014 at Georgetown University (in Washington, DC) to explore the demand for new technology among those at the base of the economic pyramid. The event is co-sponsored by USAID, the Blum Center, and gui2de. REGISTER here.
 
 
 
Evidence to Action 2014, UC Berkeley 

 We are excited to announce that CEGA's 5th annual research symposium will be held in Berkeley on Thursday, May 1st, and will highlight the growing body of evidence on the role of markets in lifting farmers out of poverty. Based on research conducted throughout sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the event will highlight stories of research into action, including a keynote by Andrew Youn, founder of  One Acre Fund. This event, co-sponsored by the Jameel Poverty Action Lab, is free and open to the public. Registration will be available online in February.
OPPORTUNITIES

EASST Fellowship and Evaluation Design Contest


The East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative is now accepting applications for its Visiting Fellows Program and Evaluation Design Contest. Researchers from East Africa are invited to apply for the fellowship, which provides support to conduct research at UC Berkeley or another CEGA-affiliated university. The Evaluation Design Contest funds rigorous evaluation of promising social or economic interventions in East Africa. The first deadline is Friday, January 31st. Visit http://easst-collaborative.org for application deadlines and details.

IMPACT
Meeting to Promote Transparency in Social Science Research
 
This year's meeting of the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS) featured recent efforts to increase the transparency of empirical research in economics, political science, psychology, and biostatistics. The hall was packed with academics, funders, and journal editors discussing how to improve the reliability of evidence provided to decision-makers. The conference was co-organized with the Center for Open Science, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and an anonymous donor.
 
Impact Evaluation Training at IFAD in Rome

 

In December CEGA conducted a training for the statistics division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at their headquarters in Rome. Led by affiliates Craig McIntosh and Paul Gertler, the training focused on developing capacity to conduct randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental ex-post evaluations of IFAD interventions.
RECENT EVENTS
Running Randomized Evaluations Book Launch

REs Book Launch

On December 12th, CEGA hosted the west coast launch of Rachel Glennerster and Kudzai Takavarasha's new book Running Randomized Evaluations. The book is designed as a practical guide for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Access the book and supplementary materials online at http://runningres.com/

 

 

Working Group in African Political Economy Fall 2013

 

The Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE) held a one-day workshop in December which fostered constructive dialogue on research-in-progress by bringing together faculty and graduate students from top institutions on the West Coast. Researchers presented five works on topics that affect African  political economy including electoral fraud, mineral mining, political repression, insurance and access to credit. The next workshop will take place in May at UCLA.

 
RESEARCH
Rainfall Shocks and Childhood Development

It is well established that drought affects crop yields, which in turn impacts household income and can limit access to proper nutrition and health care. Yet CEGA affiliate Manisha Shah has discovered an unexpected link between environmental shocks and childhood development in India. With few work options available during seasons of low rainfall, children's school attendance and test scores are higher. In contrast, during periods of heavy rainfall and good harvests, school attendance rates drop significantly as children are called upon to help in the fields. Read the NBER working paper for details.
IN THE NEWS
CEGA Leads Transparency Initiative
The January 3rd edition of the journal Science featured a paper co-authored by CEGA Directors Edward Miguel, Temina Madon, and several others. The paper lays out key guidelines needed to strengthen the credibility and impact of empirical research in the social sciences.

Prashant Bharadwaj on Child Labor
CEGA affiliate Prashant Bharadwaj was featured in the Wall Street Journal and Business Insider for his recently published NBER paper "Perverse Consequences of Well Intentioned Regulation: Evidence from India's Child Labor Ban".

New Board Members
CEGA welcomes two new members to our Advisory Board: Annie Duflo, Executive Director of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), and Robin Burgess, Founder and Director of The International Growth Centre (IGC)  at the London School of Economics. As leaders of two of CEGA's collaborating partner organizations, Annie and Robin contribute invaluable insight and expertise to the Center. 
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