Urbanomics

1. The WSJ extrapolates from history of stock market crashes, On March 10, 2000, the Nasdaq Composite Index hit an intraday high of 51...

You can have the best structured and incentive compatible policies and yet not have much impact on the ground in addressing the underlying...

1. I had blogged briefly earlier about the challenges associated with compliance with standards in Indian Railways. This is a much under-...

More evidence from Chile, Malawi, and Uganda that merely giving bank accounts does not translate automatically to its usage, leave alone ...

It is a natural tendency of human beings, especially as a social collective, to seek out simple solutions to complex public policy problem...

Nicola Twilley has this profile of the work of experimental psychologist Charles Spence who studies how sensory responses influence our a...

Mihir Shah has a nice reminder in the Indian Express where he advocates to "push irrigation not dams". Pointing to large number...

The latest edition of IMF's Finance and Development monthly has an article by Jorge Coarasa, Jishnu Das, and Jeff Hammer which urges c...

Last mile gaps are pervasive with many social policy issues. Two flagship programs of the government are most certain to be only the latest...

What is the most effective contractual framework for governments to appropriate "fair returns" from the allotment of natural reso...

Freakonomics points to the example of Hungarian musician entreprenuer Gabor Varszegi who made millions by providing high-quality service ...

We consistently underestimate the last mile gaps that are pervasive in society. Despite several ubiquitous examples of failures, we mistake...

Hospital infections are the fourth leading cause of death in America, with 2 million patients in America acquiring an infection in the hospi...

In a country full of paradoxes, it should have come as no surprise that one of India's most profitable business sectors is also one that...