Center for Effective Global Action
January 2015 - Impact Note
IMPACT 
 
2015 Visiting Fellows
Spring 2015 Visiting Fellows

CEGA welcomes three new Visiting Fellows to Berkeley this month: John Bosco Asiimwe (Makerere University), Fredrick Manang (University of Dodoma), and Anthony Mveyange (Tumaini University). This program is part of the East African Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative. EASST is currently accepting applications for the 2015-2016 Visiting Fellowship. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2015.  

 

 

Transparency in Economics Research
 
The  Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences, launched by CEGA in 2012, held a session at the annual conference of the American Economic Association in January. At the meeting, researchers discussed the value of replicating more original work, as well as lessons about scientific integrity from psychology and other disciplines. To learn more check out the BITSS blog.

WGAPE Regional Meeting

The  Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE) met for the first time at the University of Washington on January 9-10, 2015. Discussions included the impacts of health-worker strikes on childbirth outcomes, as well as the effects of debates on voter knowledge and turnout in Sierra Leone.
UPCOMING

 

Call for Papers: Annual Bank Conference on Africa

CEGA hosts the Second Annual Bank Conference on Africa (ABCA)  in Berkeley on June 8-9, 2015. Jointly organized with the World Bank, the conference will discuss conflict and fragility in sub-Saharan Africa. The deadline for paper submissions is January 31. 
EVIDENCE

Increasing HIV testing and counseling services in Rwanda

 EASST Fellow Jeanine Condo (University of Rwanda) has published "Using provider performance incentives to increase HIV testing and counseling services in Rwanda" in the Journal of Health Economics, along with CEGA affiliate Paul Gertler and co-authors. The study finds that Rwanda's pay-for-performance contracting with health providers increases HIV testing by 14.7 percentage points among discordant couples (in which only one partner is HIV positive).

Behavioral Economics and Reproductive Health

 

In January, the Behavioral Economics and Reproductive Health Initiative (BERI) released a review paper outlining the major behavioral challenges in global family planning and reproductive health. The paper also explores how tools from behavioral economics can be applied to address key problems.  
 
NEWS
 
CEGA's 2013-14 Annual Report   

 

CEGA's 2013-14 annual report is now available on our website. The report explores CEGA's evolution over the past year, highlighting the research, initiatives, and individuals that help us achieve impact throughout the world.    

 

Buying Hearts and Minds: Eli Berman in Foreign Affairs

  

CEGA affiliate Eli Berman co-authored an article in Foreign Affairs discussing evidence that sending aid into conflict areas can actually worsen violence in some cases. Read more here.
 
Measuring Development: The Role of Remote Sensing 

In a guest post on ICTWorks, CEGA manager Guillaume Kroll explains how remote sensing technology can be used as a tool for development research. The article summarizes discussions at the M&E Tech Conference in Washington, D.C. last September.

Incentivizing Safe Sex in Tanzania   

 

Follow-up results from a study of cash incentives for safe sex in Tanzania  are discussed in the World Bank IE blog this month. The study, co-authored by CEGA affiliate William Dow, suggests that the intervention can have a lasting impact on sexual behavior, even after incentive payments have ended.