In the Pacific, multitopic household surveys have historically gathered expenditure data using open form diaries completed on paper. This methodology is costly to governments, is burdensome for respondents, and takes substantial time to process the results. Noncompliance and partial compliance...

We study the relationship between unemployment, environmental policy, and business cycles. We develop a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium real business cycle model that includes both a pollution externality and congestion externalities from labor market search frictions. These frictions...

Variation in household survey design and implementation is used to obtain evidence of nonrandom measurement error in recall surveys of household expenditure. These surveys, which are used especially in developing countries, appear to have measurement errors in food expenditures and in food...

Human capital is increasingly believed to play an important role in the growth process; however, adequately measuring its stock remains controversial. Because the estimated impact that human capital has on economic growth is sensitive to the measures or proxies of human capital, accurate and...

Burning off the gas coming out of oil wells - gas flaring—is a common practice in oil-producing developing countries. This economically wasteful and environmentally damaging process occurs because infrastructure has been built with a focus on oil production rather than gas capture and because...

Temporary migration programs for unskilled workers are increasingly being proposed as a way to both relieve labor shortages in developed countries and aid development in sending countries without entailing many of the costs associated with permanent migration. New Zealand's new Recognized...

People migrate to improve their well-being, whether through an expansion of economic and social opportunities or a reduction in persecution. Yet a large literature suggests that migration can be a stressful process, with potentially negative impacts on mental health, reducing the net benefits of...

Millions of people emigrate every year in search of better economic and social opportunities. Anecdotal evidence suggests that emigrants may have over-optimistic expectations about the incomes they can earn abroad, resulting in excessive migration pressure, and in disappointment among those who...