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Exploratory Research Grant Projects

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The Urban Geography of Entrepreneurship and Formality in Poor Countries

This investigation examines the role of transportation infrastructure on entrepreneurial growth and formality in metropolitan cities of India. 

Research Project
16 Jul 2014

Can Social Networks Direct Credit to Where it is Needed Most? The Impact of Social Underwriting in Microfinance

This project investigates the idea that microfinance lending staff hired from outside the borrowing communities are not able to identify borrowers with 'high-growth potential' as reliably as the direct peers of the borrowers. 

Research Project
15 Jul 2014

Measuring Quality in India's Brick Industry

Under a broader study of the Indian clay brick industry, this project quantifies the extent to which product quality explains differences in productivity and investigates the determinants of firms' choices of quality.

Research Project
14 Jul 2014

The Cream of the Crop: Targeting High Ability Entrepreneurs Using Microcredit Group Information

This study uses the first-hand knowledge from microcredit clients' social networks to identify those entrepreneurs which are likely to be of high ability and earn higher rates of return.  

Research Project
13 Jul 2014

Tariff Reform and Product Market Integration in Developing Countries: The Case of Zambia

This project examines the case of Zambia's tarriff reforms during the 1990s  and their impact on product and price integration. 

Research Project
12 Jul 2014

Barriers to Private Sector Arbitrage in Kenyan Maize Markets

As prices for staple foods fluctuate seasonally, there is room for arbitrage by entrepeneurs. This project investigates potential barriers to arbitrage, such as missing credit markets, government policies, high costs, or entrepreneurial attitudes to develop policy insights into removing these barriers. 

Research Project
11 Jul 2014

Impacts of Trade and FDI on Productivity, Management, and Workplace Conditions: Evidence from Myanmar

By exploiting the rapid opening of Myanmar's market, the author examines the impact of the introduction to trade and FDI on productivity, management, and working conditions. 

Research Project
10 Jul 2014

The Impact of Climate and Pollution on Worker Productivity: Evidence from India (Stage One)

This study quantifies the impact of temperature, humidity, and pollution on worker productivity while also estimating the co-benefits of introducing environmentally friendly technology such as LED lighting to worker productivity and firm profitability.

Research Project
9 Jul 2014

Understanding the Distribution of Market Power and the Scope for Industrial Policy in Emerging Economies

This research project aims to understand the dynamics of the distribution of market power, as measured by mark-ups, and the resulting implications for industrial policy.

Research Project
8 Jul 2014

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