Four pathways are commonly cited to describe how research will contribute to development: (i) driving economic growth, (ii) increasing human capital, (iii) leading to the development of pro-poor products and technologies and (iv) providing evidence to inform policies and practice. This literature review examines the evidence related to each of these four pathways. It ...» more
Library
This e-library contains more than 4500 external publications on governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian issues. It includes academic and grey literature selected for its basis in good quality research and coverage of a range of perspectives. Policy-oriented summaries of each document are provided, plus links to the full text.
Voice and Agency: Empowering women and girls for shared prosperity
This report delivers an array of data, studies and evidence collected from a variety of sources to shine a spotlight on the pervasive deprivations and constraints that face women and girls worldwide. It focuses on key drivers and determinants of voice and agency. It also investigates the effectiveness of interventions designed to combat violence against women and other agency ...» more
How Useful are RCTs in Evaluating Transparency & Accountability?
This paper reviews experience in the use of randomised control trials (RCTs) in evaluating transparency and accountability (T&A) initiatives, and where evidence exists, in evaluating Technology-for-Transparency-and-Accountability (T4T&A) initiatives. The review explores: (i) where and under what conditions RCTs might be the most appropriate approach; and (ii) where other ...» more
The Economic Costs of Civil War: Synthetic Counterfactual Evidence and the Effects of Ethnic Fractionalization
There is a consensus that civil wars entail enormous economic costs, but reliable estimates are lacking, due to the endogenous relationship between violence and socio-economic conditions. This paper measures the economic consequences of civil wars with the synthetic control method, identifying appropriate counterfactuals for assessing the national-level economic impact of civil ...» more
Addressing Inequality in South Asia
Inequality in South Asia appears to be moderate when looking at standard indicators such as the Gini index, which are based on consumption expenditures per capita. But other pieces of evidence reveal enormous gaps, from extravagant wealth at one end to lack of access to the most basic services at the other. Which prompts the question: How bad is inequality in South Asia? And ...» more