In this paper Alé Chilet and Itin-Shwartz (2020) study the effectiveness of marketing channel liberalization in increasing competition among traders and prices obtained by farmers for their produce. Regulated market places are considered to concentrate market power in the hands of licensed traders and provide low prices to farmers. The authors evaluate two types of reforms: (i) 'in-market amendments', aimed at increasing competition and efficiency within regulated markets, and (ii) 'out-of- market amendments', aimed at allowing alternative marketing channels outside of regulated markets. They take advantage of a marketing channel reform proposed by the central government of India in 2003 and adopted by individual states in subsequent years. A difference-in-differences specification is applied to compare reformed and non-reformed states before and after the reform. They find a 4% overall increase in prices for in-market-reforms, and no effect for out-of-market reforms. They also find that market concentration among regulated markets increased following the reforms.
Every year low- and middle-income countries import goods worth more than $7 trillion, and in many states these shipments must first pass through the hands of corrupt customs officials.
Research suggests that partisanship and social media usage correlate with belief in COVID-19 misinformation, and that misinformation shapes citizens’ willingness to get vaccinated.
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, 186 countries implemented direct cash transfers to households, and 181 introduced in-kind programs that lowered the cost of utilities such as electricity, water, transport, and mobile money.
This project will study what constraints firms face in developing countries in promoting safety for sexual harassment for existing and potential female workers.