Center for Effective Global Action
March 2015 - Impact Note
IMPACT 
 
Eli Berman on Empirical Studies of Political Violence
AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini

In a blog in The Washington Post, CEGA affiliate Eli Berman discusses why randomized evaluations in conflict-affected regions are often overlooked, and why they should be prized.

Melanie Morten on the Pros and Cons of Migration

Melanie Morten, CEGA affiliate at Stanford University, writes in a policy brief

that the direct effect of migration in India - increasing available labor - is positive, while indirect effects (such as eroding informal insurance systems in low-resource communities) can be negative.
UPCOMING

 

Shang-Jin Wei, Asian Development Bank, Visits UC Berkeley  
Source: Asian Development Bank


Shang-Jin Wei, Chief Economist at the Asian Development Bank, will present at UC Berkeley April 13, 2015. Wei is the chief spokesperson for ADB on economic and development trends. This event is co-sponsored by CEGA.

 
 
EVIDENCE

Evidence from a Cash Transfer Program in Indonesia
 
Edwin S, Flickr Creative Commons, Village in Indonesia, 2006.

A new study by CEGA affiliate Manisha Shah (with Lisa Cameron, Monash University) examines how the mistargeting of government assistance affects crime and social capital. Indonesia's Bantuan Langsung Tunai (BLT) program, one of the world's largest cash transfer programs, used a flawed proxy-means test to target poor households. Biased allocation of resources resulted in social unrest that was widely reported in the media. Shah and Cameron find crime increased by 6% in villages with BLT, likely due to ineligible households receiving funds.
 

 

NEWS

2015 Sloan Fellows: Paul Niehaus and Ben Handel 

This year's Sloan Research Fellowships were awarded to 126 early career scholars representing today's most promising scientific researchers. CEGA affiliates Paul Niehaus at UC San Diego and Ben Handel at UC Berkeley were two of the winners. Since 1955, Sloan Fellows have gone on to win 43 Nobel Prizes, 16 Fields Medals, 65 National Medals of Science, and 14 John Bates Clark Medals. 
CEGA SPOTLIGHT

CEGA Welcomes New Affiliates  
 
Several new faculty have joined CEGA: David Atkin, Dave Donaldson, Maya Petersen, Ben Handel, and Marshall Burke. Their combined experience in rigorous evaluation, trade, environmental sciences, and health will bring new expertise to the Center.  Read more about each new affiliate here.

 


OPPORTUNITIES
Data Scientist, Financial Inclusion
A data scientist/econometrician is sought to support a new research initiative examining the impacts of e-payments on financial inclusion, consumption, and firm growth. The candidate will work with high-frequency transactions data in collaboration with private sector and faculty researchers. Position will be posted this month at http://cega.berkeley.edu/opportunities/.

Program Coordinator, Agriculture and Health

CEGA is hiring a new program coordinator for our agriculture and reproductive health initiatives. Candidates should have a background in economics, preferably in agricultural and/or behavioral economics, and 1-3 years relevant experience. Read the full job description and apply here.