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Blog post
A framework for affordable housing in Pakistan
Pakistan’s population explosion and rapid urbanisation has left a growing number of people without access to decent, stable, affordable housing. The last census, in 2017, documents a housing stock of 32.2 million, of which 39% is urban. The urban population is expected to grow by 2.3 million people per year over the next 20 years. This translates into the demand for...
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Blog post
Keep it clean: Can blockchain change the nature of land registry in developing countries?
The global economy is constantly exposed to disruptive technologies. Take the example of telecommunications: it was not long ago that everything revolved around landlines. Households would go to huge lengths to ensure they were well-serviced with fixed-line infrastructure, while those left out endured long travel times for everyday activities like managing a business or...
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Blog post
Ugandan fine coffee (Arabica): What is the opportunity?
Ugandan Arabica coffee is all but unknown among end consumers and underrated by traders. There are immediate opportunities to improve marketing methods as well as to raise farmers’ incomes by building a supply chain that emphasises quality, such as the presence of washing stations in the western regions. When coffee production and revenues began to rise in Uganda in the...
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Blog post
Can the microcredit model be improved?
The long-term impact of microcredit on peoples’ lives is limited: new research reveals it can help more people by modifying and extending its model. Microcredit is frequently touted as an effective policy tool to fight global poverty. Its global profile was elevated in 2006 when Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering microcredit....
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Blog post
What will aid and development look like under UK Prime Minister Johnson?
As the Conservative Party leadership contest draws to a close, Britain has finally seen a new Prime Minister enter the famous black door of 10 Downing Street. It’s a surprise to few that Boris Johnson has won the race to succeed Theresa May, opening a new chapter in the nation’s Brexit saga. What lies ahead for the development sector? In the 2016 referendum, Johnson...
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Blog post
Should I stay or should I go? Managing populations with urban to rural migration incentives
Sydney you’ve got to let me know, should they stay or should they go. In 2011, Sydney, the largest city in Australia, asked its residents, should they stay or should they go? Despite regularly rated as one of the world’s top ten liveable cities, the government was offering residents AUD$7,000 (£4,500 or ~one month’s average wage) to move to the country’s rural...
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Blog post
Replenishing the rice bowl: Productivity and quality in Myanmar’s rice export industry
Myanmar’s rice industry can be reignited by reforms. However, key challenges need to be addressed for the country to re-establish itself in the international market. Myanmar once held the distinction of being the world’s largest exporter of rice, accounting for one-third of the global rice trade in 1934-1935. Post-independence nationalisation of the industry was...
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Blog post
What can we learn from the market for skilled workers in Sierra Leone?
Many developing countries focus on education to produce a productive workforce. Human capital models in economics support this. But what we can learn from the Sierra Leonean context is that a push for education and skills development is just one component on the supply side. Most of the world’s population, and therefore labour force, live in developing countries. Yet...
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Blog post
Mining taxation policy in Zambia: The tyranny of indecision
Instability, massive increases and novel taxes not seen anywhere in the world’. That is the way the outgoing Zambia Chamber of Mines President, Nathan Chishimba, described the new tax measures targeted at the mining sector in the 2019 budget. The Zambian government has charged that these new measures will ensure that the sector is paying its fair share of taxes, but the...
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Blog post
What do surveys and SMS data reveal about Kigali’s unplanned settlements?
Households living in unplanned areas of Kigali make complex trade-offs in terms of where they work and live. We use face-to-face and SMS surveys to understand these trade-offs as well as general patterns in migration, employment, mobility, housing, and access to infrastructure and services. Building an understanding of these dynamics is key for urban upgrading and more...
Blog post
Should electricity be a right?
The question ‘is electricity a commodity or a public utility?’ is thought provoking. A related question is if electricity should be a right and what does it mean. Does it mean people have the right to use as much electricity as they want and at what price? Or should a basic minimum quantity of electricity be available to all irrespective of their ability to pay? The...