This conversation between Nobel Laureates Amartya Sen and Angus Deaton, moderated by Editorial Committee Member Tim Besley, focuses on bringing ethical issues into economics, and the implications that this has for the practice and teaching of economics. A video of this interview is available...

I consider two issues concerning how to monitor global poverty for the Millennium Development Goals, the selection of poverty lines, and the data sources for monitoring poverty over time. I discuss the choice of a single international line, converted using purchasing power parity exchange rates,...

This chapter discusses data and econometric tools for development analysis. Data issues lead directly into the econometrics. The chapter discusses household survey data, survey design in developing countries, data collection, measurement issues, and experience of using such data in econometric...

Demand analysis refers largely to the study of commodity demands by consumers, most usually based on aggregate data but occasionally, and more so recently, on cross-sections or even panels of households. This chapter discusses the links between conventional demand analysis and such topics as...

The World Bank prepares and publishes estimates of the number of poor people in the world. These numbers, particularly the count of people living below $1 a day, are widely quoted and used by the Bank, the press, and by political leaders around the world. They are the raw material in the debate...

This paper examines issues of household saving, growth. and aging in Taiwan. The Taiwanese patterns of high income growth, declines in fertility, and increases in life expectancy all have implications for life-cycle saving. We use data from fifteen consecutive household income and expenditure...

Elderly Americans who live with people under age 18 have lower life evaluations than those who do not. They also experience worse emotional outcomes, including less happiness and enjoyment, and more stress, worry, and anger. In part, these negative outcomes come from selection into living with a...

Durkheim's famous study of suicide is a precursor of a large contemporary literature that investigates the links between religion and health. The topic is particularly germane for the health of women and of the elderly, who are much more likely to be religious. In this paper, I use data from the...

I argue that progress in understanding economic development (as in other branches of economics) must come from the investigation of mechanisms; the associated empirical analysis can usefully employ a wide range of experimental and non-experimental methods. I discuss three different areas of...