Behavioural development economics

Much of my research uses insights and concepts from behavioural economics, making use of field and  lab-in-the field experiments as well as non-experimental and qualitative methods.  

Work in progress

Workplace based health care for malaria: demand and impact on worker productivity and earnings.  
with Oladele Akogun, Andrew Dillon. Working paper

Published

Recruitment, effort and retention effect of performance contracts for civil servants. Experimental evidence from Rwandan primary schools.
American Economic Review, Vol 111. No 7, July 2021, with Clare Leaver, Owen Ozier, Andrew Zeitlin, available from arXiv ; previous versions appeared as RISE Working Paper 20/048,  IZA Discussion Paper 13696, Word Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9395, CEPR Discussion paper 15333.  See VoxDev, Selection and incentive effects of teacher performance contracts in Rwanda  

Health information, treatment, and worker productivity.
Journal of the European Economic Association, Vol 19, Issue 2, April 2021, with Andrew Dillon, Jed Friedman

The COVID-19 pandemic and maternal mental health in a fragile and conflict affected setting, a cohort study in Tumaco, Colombia.
Lancet Global Health, Volume 9, Issue 8, August 2021with Andres Moya, Alethea Desrosiers, Vilma Reyes, María José Torres.

Productivity and health: alternative productivity measures using physical activity
World Bank Economic Review, Vol 35, Issue 3, October 2021,p 652-680,with Oladele Akogun, Andrew Dillon, Jed Friedman, Ashesh Prasann 

Poverty, Aspirations and Education. Evidence from India.
Journal of Development Studies, 2021, Vol 57, Issues 1, with Stefan Dercon, previous versions available as IZA Discussion Paper 13697, RISE Working Paper 20/53

Do returns to education depend on how and who you ask?
Economics of Education Review, Vol.60, Oct 2017, 5-17
, with Kathleen Beegle, Andrew Dillon

The role of motivation for health service delivery,
in Agnes Soucat, Richard Scheffler, Teodros A. Gebreyesus, 2012, 'The Labor Market for Health Workers in Africa. A New Look at the Crisis', The World Bank and University of California Berkeley, with Kennet Leonard, Michelle Brock

What explains the variation in child labor statistics? Evidence from a survey experiment in Tanzania,
Journal of Development Economics, 98(1):136-147, 2012, with Andrew Dillon, Elena Bardasi, Kathleen Beegle

Do labor statistics depend on how and to whom the question was asked?  Results from a randomized survey experiment,
World Bank Economic Review, 25 (3):418-447, 2012, with Elena Bardasi, Kathleen Beegle, Andrew Dillon

Intrinsic motivation and the nonprofit health sector,
Personality and Individual Differences
, Vol 51, Issue 3, August 2011, Pages 309-314. with Danila Serra, Abigail Barr

Who wants to work in a rural post? The role of intrinsic motivation, rural background and faith based institutions in Rwanda and Ethiopia,
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, May 2010, 88, 342-349.  with Jose Garcia Montalvo, Gunilla Pettersson, Tomas Lievens, Damas Butera

Reciprocity in the workplace,
Experimental Economics, 12 (1) p99, 2009, with Abigail Barr

Corruption in public service delivery: an experimental analysis,
Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization, 72(1) 225-239, 2009, with Abigail Barr, Magnus Lindelow

For public service or for money: understanding geographical imbalances in the health workforce,
Health Policy and Planning, 22 (3), 128-138, 2007, with Jose Garcia Montalvo, Magnus Lindelow, Abigail Barr