Marissa Block
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Benchmarking Development Projects to Cash
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In recent years, there has been increasing evidence in support of cash transfers, both conditional and unconditional. In fact, there are organizations whose sole purpose is to give cash directly to the poor. While the evidence suggests that cash transfers can improve livelihoods, there is relatively little evidence on how…
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When Formality is too Costly: An Experiment from Benin
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Many economies in the developing world exhibit a dual structure: the formal sector and the informal sector. While large firms operate in the formal sphere, a majority of small- to medium-size firms operate informally. Estimates of the size of the informal economy vary, but in many countries, especially sub-Saharan Africa,…