Marking the 20th anniversary of the Human Development Index (HDI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has published a revised measure that also accounts for inequality (IHDI). Countries subject to severe social disparities, particularly Central and South American countries, perform...

Exploiting Tangshan 1976 - the deadliest earthquake in the 20th century - as a source of exogenous variation, we estimate the long-run effect of a historical shock on contemporary socio-economic outcomes. Cohorts born after the earthquake were not only larger, but exhibit lower school completion...

This paper reviews the channels through which empowerment may improve the efficiency and quality of public service delivery, particularly in developing Asia. Departing from a macro perspective, we focus and revisit microeconomic evidence for three broad measures aimed at empowering the poor:...