Studies

Technology and Collective Action: The Effect of Cell Phone Coverage and Political Violence in Africa

2013 study in American Political Science Review showing the association between increased cell phone availability and usage and the capacity for violent conflict.

The Foreign Policy Consequences of Trade: China’s Commercial Relations with Africa and Latin America, 1992-2006

2013 study from Cornell examining how increased trade with China results in partner countries altering their foreign policy positions in favor of China.

Road safety and motor vehicle accidents: Surveying global and U.S. data

2013 World Health Organization report and a survey of U.S.-related data that shed light on the continuing problems of motor vehicle accidents and related policy dynamics.

People Power or a One-Shot Deal? A Dynamic Model of Protest

2013 study from Princeton and NYU on the nature of political revolutions and the possibility that such upheaval in many countries is a singular event, unlikely to be followed by more.

New Left policies and Latin America: Research review and reading list

2013 review of relevant studies and books that shed light on the New Left in Latin America; a variety of scholarly perspectives on outcomes and progress.

Is There an Asian Model of Technological Emergence?

2013 study in Socio-Economic Review assessing looking at distinctions among Asian countries in terms of technological development and economics.

Mobile Leapfrogging and Digital Divide Policy

2013 paper from the New America Foundation reviewing existing scholarship on mobile phone use in the developing world and critically examining the potential downsides versus building more broadband infrastructure to support PCs.

Assessing the Impact of Training on Lowland Rice Productivity in an African Setting: Evidence from Uganda

2012 study in World Development on the transfer of Asian agricultural practices to Africa, and the outcomes of a pilot program.

Happiness Among the Garbage: Differences in Overall Happiness among Trash Pickers in León (Nicaragua)

2013 study in The Journal of Positive Psychology providing rare insights into the community of trash pickers living in extreme poverty in Nicaragua.

How Long Will It Take to Lift One Billion People out of Poverty?

2013 paper in the World Bank Research Observer that estimates, under an optimistic scenario, a billion people could be lifted out of extreme poverty by 2027.

Global Food Crisises, Food Insecurity and Measuring Hunger

2013 study in The World Bank Economic Review on key lessons learned from the 2008 food crisis and the widely divergent regional outcomes and effects.

Crime, House Prices and Inequality: Examining Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas

2012 study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on how increased policing in Brazil’s favelas can lead to economic benefits and decreased inequality.

Mali, terrorism and conflict: Research roundup

2013 review of scholarly literature and think tank reports on conflict in Mali in the context of deeper history, and related issues.

Global Land and Water Grabbing

2013 study from the Polytechnic University of Milan and the University of Virginia on the growing rates of international land and water purchases by nations and corporations.

The End of Farm Labor Abundance

2012 study from the University of California, Davis, and El Colegio de Mexico on farm labor supply in the U.S. and Mexican migration patterns.

Microfinance and poverty alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa: Research roundup

2012 scholarly literature review regarding microfinance programs and their effects in developing African countries.

Power to the People: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment on Community-Based Monitoring in Uganda

2009 study in The Quarterly Journal of Economics showing that community monitoring can play an important role in improving service delivery when traditional top-down supervision is ineffective.

Growth and Poverty Reduction in Africa in the Last Two Decades

2012 study in the Journal of African Economies examining complex trends relating to growth and poverty reduction on the African continent.

Global Changes in Diets and the Consequences for Land Requirements for Food

2012 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences on the problematic pace of global land consumption and agricultural output required to supply the world’s growing population.

Elephants, Ivory and Trade

2010 policy paper in Science exploring the consequences of policies relating to the export of ivory from African countries.