Numerous microfinance initiatives around the world aim to alleviate poverty in developing countries. However, debate persists about their effectiveness and sustainability - a concern for transnational corporations and the international business community, which contribute about $9.4 billion to...

Urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is generally highlighted as a puzzle that deviates from the stylized facts in the literature. Using data from a panel of 29 urbanizing countries in SSA from 1985 to 2019, the study employs the two-step system generalized methods of moments to investigate...

Introduction: what have we learned about the problems of and prospects for disadvantaged youth? / Jonathan Gruber -- Education : the behavioral consequences of pre-kindergarten participation for disadvantaged youth / David Figlio and Jeffrey Roth -- Is gaining access to selective elementary...

This report analyses Ghana’s policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with particular attention to the social sector. It highlights the various policies that were adopted to help minimise the impact of the pandemic, ranging from the provision of free/subsidised water and electricity, and the...

Zambia’s social policy response to the Covid-19 pandemic is unfolding against a background of severe financial challenges, a squeezed social sector and limited state capacity. There are also concerns about the upcoming general election in August 2021, which is already beginning to shape policy...