The IGC promotes sustainable growth in developing countries by providing demand-led policy advice based on frontier research. The IGC is directed and organized from hubs at the LSE and Oxford and comprises country offices across the developing world and a global network of partners. The IGC was initiated by and is funded by DFID.
Our demand-driven policy work brings research to bear on the key issues facing policy-makers in our partner countries. IGC teams are active in:
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Engagement with Sierra LeoneOmotunde E. G. Johnson, 4 February 2010
Dr. Mark Henstridge and Dr. Omotunde Johnson visited Freetown during the period January 19-27, 2010, to discuss ways in which IGC can enhance its cooperation with Sierra Leone.
Growth opportunities in Bihar Diane Mak, 22 December 2009
The Bihar Growth Day Workshop held in Patna last week discussed growth opportunities in Bihar and the potential for research to inform policymaking in issues relating to private sector development, rural development, social service delivery, decentralization and accountability. The Workshop was jointly organized by the IGC and the Asian Development Research Institute, a local research organization.
Operationalising pro-poor growth: research-policy links in BangladeshRobin Burgess, 16 December 2009
A meeting in Dhaka this week discussed the potential contribution of research to sustainable growth in Bangladesh. The programme was jointly organised by the IGC, the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and Economic Research Group, a local research firm.
The role of agriculture in growth revisited for AfricaStefan Dercon, Kareen El Beyrouty, 4 December 2009
Time and time again, agricultural growth is seen as a driver of growth for African economies. To illustrate, the World Development Report 2008 states that “agricultural productivity growth is vital for stimulating growth in other parts of the economy.” For some this is accepted without further question, but is the evidence base really as strong as it is often suggested?
Managers and markets in India Diane Mak, 9 November 2009
Nick Bloom has been conducting an IGC research project in India on management practices and the impact on firm productivity. See http://www.theigc.org/index.php?q=node/392 for more details on this project and http://www.livemint.com/2009/11/01200055/Managers-and-markets.html?h=B for coverage of this project by Nirvikar Singh in The Wall Street Journal (1 November 2009).
Research priorities for BiharDiane Mak, 5 November 2009
The IGC research programme for Bihar will involve work in two broad areas: measuring the impact of economic growth on the state’s rural poor; and the impact on growth of the evolving relationship between the state government and local communities.
Policy challenges for BiharDiane Mak, 5 November 2009
Since the new government came into office in 2005, significant strides have been made in addressing Bihar’s poor performance in GDP per capita and other measures relative to the rest of India. But much remains to be done to improve economic growth and human wellbeing (especially in rural areas), to deliver public services more effectively and to address the state’s proneness to flooding.
Policy challenges for PakistanKareen El Beyrouty, Ijaz Nabi, 5 November 2009
On 28 September 2009, the IGC hosted Pakistan Day in London. Policy-makers, politicians, academics and representatives of the private sector participated in the event, which focused on the key policy challenges facing the country and the importance of policy research to address them.
Effects of climate change on low-lying and flood-prone areas: the case of BangladeshRaymond Guiteras, Richard Hornbeck, Mushfiq Mobarak, 4 November 2009
Global climate change is likely to cause rising sea levels and increased frequency and severity of flooding in low-lying areas. Raymond Guiteras, Richard Hornbeck and Mushfiq Mobarak will quantify the effects of these developments in Bangladesh, one of the world’s most vulnerable nations.
Marketing stoves through social networks to combat indoor air pollution: the case of BangladeshGrant Miller, Mushfiq Mobarak, 4 November 2009
Traditional cook-stoves widely used in South Asia are a serious health hazard – yet simple technologies to reduce the indoor air pollution they cause are available. Grant Miller and Mushfiq Mobarak (with the Research and Evaluation Division of BRAC in Dhaka, Bangladesh) will explore how marketing using social networks can improve the adoption of improved cook-stoves.
Charter citiesPaul Romer, 30 October 2009
Paul Romer talks to the BBC’s Peter Day about charter cities, his idea for addressing global poverty by giving people the chance to escape from precarious and harmful subsistence agriculture or dangerous urban slums. Charter cities let people move to a place with rules that provide security, economic opportunity and improved quality of life. Charter cities also give leaders more options for improving governance and investors more opportunities to finance socially beneficial infrastructure projects.
Local democracy in PakistanRoger Myerson, 30 October 2009
Nobel laureate Roger Myerson talks to the BBC World Service about local democracy in Pakistan and how an economic theorist can help to think about it.
Selling formal insurance to the informally insuredMushfiq Mobarak, Mark Rosenzweig, 28 October 2009
South Asian farmers exposed to the risks to their crops of unpredictable rainfall are typically reluctant to purchase formal insurance products that mitigate those risks. Mushfiq Mobarak and Mark Rosenzweig will seek to understand why there is this low demand, focusing on the importance of trust and the prevalence of informal, caste-based networks for sharing risks.
Service sector liberalisation benefits manufacturing firmsJens Arnold, Beata Smarzynska Javorcik, Aaditya Mattoo, 12 October 2009
Restrictions on foreign ownership of service industries, including transport, telecoms, banking and insurance, can seriously dampen productivity growth in a country’s manufacturing sectors. Inflows of foreign direct investment following regulatory reforms can lead to profound improvements in performance – for the service providers themselves and for manufacturing firms that use their services.
Growth in Ethiopia: a private sector perspectiveErmyas Amelga, 6 October 2009
Ermyas Amelga, a businessman based in Addis Ababa, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about growth in Ethiopia, including smallholder agriculture, the potential of the private sector and the central need to create productive jobs. The interview was recorded at Growth Week in London in September 2009.
Growth challenges in India: wellbeing, sustainability and democracyNK Singh, 5 October 2009
NK Singh, member of the Indian parliament for the state of Bihar, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about growth challenges in India, including wellbeing measures, climate change and the political context. The interview was recorded at Growth Week in London in September 2009.
The economic crisis and Africa’s policy responseErnest Aryeetey, 4 October 2009
Ernest Aryeetey of the University of Ghana talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the challenges of the economic crisis for policy-makers in Africa, particularly in his own country. The interview was recorded in London in June 2009.
India’s growth storySurjit Bhalla, 29 September 2009
Surjit Bhalla, Chairman of Oxus Investments, a New Delhi based research and portfolio management firm, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about growth in India and the impact of the global economic crisis. The interview was recorded in London in June 2009.
Growth Week launches in LondonMark Henstridge, 22 September 2009
Mark Henstridge, acting executive director of the International Growth Centre, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the objectives of Growth Week, the first of an annual series of IGC conferences bringing together researchers and policy-makers to promote sustainable growth in developing countries in Africa and Asia. The interview was recorded in London in September 2009.
Export-manufacturing success reduces investment in educationDavid Atkin, 13 September 2009
A booming export-manufacturing sector can have unexpected impacts on a country’s longer-term growth prospects. These sectors offer many well paid jobs to the young and unskilled, and some students drop out of school to take up these positions, lowering both their later earning capacity and reducing the skill level of the economy.
Bitter-sweet trade liberalisation: evidence from India on the significance of local food tastesDavid Atkin, 3 September 2009
Agricultural trade liberalisation is beneficial in the long run – but because of people’s strong preferences for the local foods to which they are accustomed, liberalisation can initially increase hunger among the poorest. The most harmful nutritional effects may be avoided by accompanying liberalisation with temporary food subsidies for favoured local staples aimed at poor households.
Growth in Africa and the impact of the global crisisWilliam Lyakurwa, 31 August 2009
William Lyakurwa, Executive Director of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about the impact of the global crisis on growth in Africa, notably through its effects on agricultural exports, tourism, foreign direct investment and remittances. The interview was recorded in London in June 2009.
African economies in the global crisisNjuguna S. Ndung’u, 27 August 2009
Njuguna Ndung’u, Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about Africa’s experience of the global crisis, the appropriate policy responses and the interactions between economic research and economic policy-making. The interview was recorded in London in June 2009.
Ghana's chancePeter Henry, 17 June 2009
After two and a half decades of continuous economic expansion, rising inflation, a large budget deficit and a worldwide recession pose threats to Ghana's continued growth and macroeconomic stability. But there are also reasons for optimism, not least the discovery of significant oil reserves in the country's coastal waters.
Ghana: difficult economic challenges confront new administrationGobind Nankani, 17 June 2009
Ghana has had a stellar growth performance in the past five years and made significant progress in poverty reduction. But the new administration faces tough economic challenges, notably establishing macroeconomic stability, managing the oil resource bounty and improving the social dimensions of growth.
Better management can lead to rapid developmentNick Bloom , 17 June 2009
Poor management practices in India and elsewhere are holding back economic growth. But good management is a technology: it can be spread through good policy and direct assistance. And it should help firms in developing countries to make significant productivity improvements.
Public finance in developing countriesRaj Chetty, 17 June 2009
Raj Chetty, who has done pioneering research on public finance in the developed world, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about his planned work on how to improve tax collection in developing countries, focusing particularly on non-economic incentives for tax compliance.
Investment promotion agencies: how developing countries can best attract foreign investorsTorfinn Harding, Beata Smarzynska Javorcik, 17 June 2009
Investment promotion agencies are a cost-effective way of increasing inflows of foreign direct investment, particularly for developing countries where information about business conditions is less readily available and bureaucratic procedures tend to be more burdensome.
Rising temperatures: the potential impact on growth in poorer countriesMelissa Dell, Benjamin Jones, Benjamin Olken, 17 June 2009
Higher temperatures have large, negative effects on economic growth - but only in poor countries, where they reduce the growth rate not simply the level of output. This implies that future climate change may substantially widen the income gaps between rich and poor countries.
Hot weather and mortality: the unequal burdens of climate changeRobin Burgess, Olivier Deschenes, Dave Donaldson, Michael Greenstone, 17 June 2009
A comparison of data on India and the United States suggests that the mortality cost of extreme weather may take a far heavier toll in poor countries than in rich countries. Within the poor countries, it may strike hardest at those in rural areas.
Evaluating BRAC's ultra-poor programme in BangladeshImran Rasul, 17 June 2009
Can providing business skills and access to credit enable the poor to lift themselves out of poverty? Research is evaluating the Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction programme, designed by BRAC to remove some of the obstacles faced by the 'ultra-poor' in rural Bangladesh.
Resource misallocation constrains growth in poor countriesChang-Tai Hsieh, 16 June 2009
There are typically large gaps in the productivity of resources across firms in poor countries, which translate into low aggregate productivity and ultimately low standards of living. In China, the dispersion of productivity has narrowed in recent years, in no small part because of the shrinking role of inefficient state-owned enterprises.
Africa and the global crisis: three reasons to be really worriedJohn Page, 7 June 2009
Africa is likely to lose significant ground in its pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals as a result of the global crisis. The continent may also be poorly positioned to compete when global economic activity recovers. What's more, aid flows may reinforce not offset Africa's economic decline.
Conflict in sub-Saharan Africa: private sector incentives and impactsEliana La Ferrara, 17 June 2008
Eliana La Ferrara talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about her research on the causes and consequences of conflict within countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.