Working paper 147 Download pdf Tom Lavers This paper examines the politics of implementing the PSNP in Ethiopia. The PSNP is a targeted food and cash-for-work programme that places a strong emphasis on its ‘productive’ contribution through public works, a livelihoods component and the

Working paper 144 Download pdf Rasmus Pedersen, Thabit Jacob and Peter Bofin A great deal of attention has been paid to the distributional aspects of resource nationalism in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, but less is known about its effects on the state’s capacity. By unpacking the

13 January 2020 Congratulations to ESID researchers, Vasudha Chhottray, Anindita Adhikari and Vidushi Bahuguna, whose pioneering ESID research has been published in the prestigious journal, World Development. The research compares India’s national food subsidy programme in two n

9 August 2019 Lant Pritchett   This post was first published on Harvard’s State Capacity Blog.   In the book Building State Capability one of the explanations of the very slow progress shown in acquiring effective and capability administration in developing countries w

Working paper 120 Download pdf Benjamin Chemouni The Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) is recognised as the most effective organisation in the Rwandan state. The objective of the paper is to understand the organisational and political factors influencing MI

Working paper 123 Download pdf Sabyasachi Kar,  Lant Pritchett,  Spandan Roy  and Kunal Sen The World Bank’s Doing Business reports have evoked an intense policy debate about whether countries should simplify regulatory rules, in order to stimulate investment and growth, or make them

Working paper 121 Download pdf Badru Bukenya and Sam Hickey Uganda’s impressive levels of economic growth over most of the past three decades have often been linked to the performance of its economic technocracy, particularly the government’s high-powered Ministry of Finance, Economic

Working paper 122 Download pdf Marja Hinfelaar and Justine Sichone Zambia experienced a decade of strong economic growth from 2004 to 2014, averaging 7.4 percent a year. This growth has been linked, first and foremost, to the rise of copper prices and international debt relief, but al

If you are able to be in Cape Town this Thursday, don’t miss the opportunity to join our leading researchers, Prof Sam Hickey, Dr Tim Kelsall and Prof Brian Levy, for a presentation and discussion on: ‘How politics, development and state effectiveness interact – main findi

  10th October 2018 Antonio Savoia and M. Niaz Asadullah     Can poverty be eradicated is the biggest question for development. Progress in poverty reduction was a central success with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): estimates suggest that as many as one billion peo