Shocks faced in early life have been linked with persistent inequalities in long-term health and economic outcomes. This paper studies the link between seasonal rainfall shocks and early childhood development in rural Uganda. The results indicate that rainfall shocks during the Ugandan harvest season in the in-utero period and first year of life are positively associated with the cognitive and non-cognitive development of 3- to 5-year-old children. This contributes to the literature on the persistence of economic inequalities caused by adversities in early life.
We report the results of a field experiment that randomly placed unemployed young people as apprentices with small firms in Ghana, and included no cash subsidy to firms (or workers) beyond in-kind recruitment services.
This paper reports on the universe of garment-making firm owners in a Ghanaian district capital during the COVID-19 crisis. By July 2020, 80% of both male- and female-owned firms were operational.
Increases in the minimum wage can substantially reduce earnings inequality. To demonstrate this, we combine administrative and survey data with an equilibrium model of the Brazilian labor market.
In a move to promote more sustainable technologies in the construction sector, in 2019 the Government of Bangladesh introduced a shift from fired clay bricks to blocks in public construction.