In rural China, those in the poorest wealth decile are the least well-insured, with 40 percent of an income shock being passed on to current consumption. By contrast, consumption by the richest third of households is protected from almost 90 percent of an income shock.Jalan and Ravallion test...

Electricity is widely considered to be critical for economic growth, but recent literature provides mixed evidence on the welfare implications of rural electrification in developing countries. Understanding the welfare impacts of electrification requires detailed knowledge about the determinants...