Category Archives: Jobs, Finance and Skills

Networks, gender and job referrals in Malawi

A CSAE enumerator at work in Ghana in 2008. But how did she find the job? And what would she say if we asked her to refer someone to fill a similar position? Referrals matter  ”Another issue concerns your letters … Continue reading

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Africans care about jobs; non-Africans care about institutions?

There’s a lot of chatter in the blogosphere about Westerners’ perceptions of Africa, and how poorly they align with Africans’ own views of the challenges their societies face. This week I’m in Oxford, for the annual conference on “Economic Development … Continue reading

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NREGA and rural welfare in India

  In the evaluation of social programs, the first order concern is their effect on beneficiaries. However, there is a growing awareness about “spillovers” or “peer effects”, which could affect non-beneficiaries. In Mexican villages where PROGRESA cash transfers were implemented, … Continue reading

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The rise and fall of (Chinese) African apparel exports

Even the tiniest signs of industrial take-off in Africa always attract the attention of economists and policymakers, both of whom are eagerly waiting for the elusive African growth miracle. One such episode of excitement was the surge of apparel exports … Continue reading

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Can large-scale public works programmes push up wages?

Most of the world’s poor live in rural areas, and at the bottom of the pyramid are landless workers subsisting on casual wage labour in agriculture. Policies that can put upward pressure on agricultural wages are therefore likely to be … Continue reading

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To understand earnings in Africa, we need to look past the formal/informal divide

The debate about whether human capital or labour market institutions are the primary explanation for who earns what in developing countries is a long one. An important waypoint in this debate is the Harris-Todaro model, which came to be used to describe … Continue reading

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Are contract teachers worth the hype?

Everyone complains about ‘failing’ state schools, but some countries are entitled to more of a gripe. State school teachers in a lot of countries just don’t show up for work, students in these schools can’t add and multiply despite years … Continue reading

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The 2012 CSAE Conference

The 2012 CSAE Conference begins tomorrow at St. Catherine’s College, here in Oxford. The conference is probably the largest annual gathering of economists working on Africa. There will be an impressive array of speakers at the conference, including Stefan Dercon, … Continue reading

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Policies for jobs in Africa: why we need more bad jobs (and fewer good ones)

Jobs are back on the policy agenda in a big way. The World Bank is proposing to move Jobs to the Center Stage for its 2013 World Development Report. The ILO has created a “Decent work agenda” which includes creating jobs, guaranteeing rights … Continue reading

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