We analyze the role of risk-sharing institutions in transitions to modern economies. Transitions requires individual-level risk-taking in pursuing productivity-enhancing activities including using and developing new knowledge. Individual-level, idiosyncratic risk implies that distinct...

The AIDS epidemic continues to pose significant public health challenges, especially given that the spread of the virus outpaces the AIDS response. Importantly, HIV continues to disproportionately impact socially and economically marginalized communities. In countries with concentrated...

As envisaged in the Sustainable Development Goals, eradicating poverty by 2030 is among the most important steps to achieve a better and more sustainable future. A key contribution to reach this target is to ensure that vulnerable households are effectively protected against weather-related...

This paper studies the restrictions on consumption, portfolio choice, and social discounting implied by a sustainability constraint, that utility should not be expected to decline over time, in an economy with risky investment opportunities. The sustainability constraint does not distort...