David Evans
daveevansphd.bsky.social
David Evans
@daveevansphd.bsky.social

Economist at the Center for Global Development. Formerly: Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, RAND Corporation, & my local movie theater. I mostly share about international development research plus books and movies. Views mine, not my employer's. .. more

Education 40%
Computer science 27%
Pinned
"Ten Findings about Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean" economia.lse.ac.uk/articles/10.... Now out in Economía (the LACEA journal)

Check out this great primer on school meals, "the world's biggest social program" (get out of the way cash transfers) voxdev.org/topic/free-s... featuring Bedasso (@cgdev.org) and Sánchez

Reposted by Todd Pugatch

How much teachers are teaching is a serious constraint to student learning. www.cgdev.org/blog/beyond-... Breeding & Bruns on teacher time on task at @cgdev.org

I'm looking forward to reading @drodrik.bsky.social's new book!

Review: "Throughout the book, he emphasizes experimentation over grand design and local over national—let alone global—solutions." www.imf.org/en/publicati...

From @cgdev.org's What We're Reading link.cgdev.org/webmail/6832...

Here's my little writing pet peeve: You never need to say "relatively more" or "relatively fewer" because more and fewer are inherently relative.

(Also, while I'm here, reiterating that you can always do better than "It is important to note." Just note it!)

We have great events coming up next week on how to prevent school violence. Join us! www.cgdev.org/event/call-p...

¿Puede recuperarse la economía de Venezuela?

www.cgdev.org/blog/cgd-pod...

Grabé una conversación con Dany Bahar y Liliana Rojas-Suarez sobre este tema. ¡Ahora la transcripción está disponible en español!

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner

A program to put high school students on the path to becoming teachers resulted in more teachers and in higher wages for students: nudging students who would have earned less (e.g., as instructional aides) into the teaching profession.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
We're hiring a research associate and a research intern for a field project on taxation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in gaining hands-on research and work experience in a low-income country in partnership with the local government.

Well, I'm glad someone's using that report! Look, @shelbycarvalho.bsky.social, it's not forgotten!

My younger kids (both older teens) generally are just uninterested in the genre of movies that have that content, so it's mostly a nonissue.

Your thoughts?

The violence is played as satire, although some of it is pretty bloody. There's a silly sex scene (no nudity). www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-review...

I wouldn't take my younger teens, but parents AND kids are so different: a lot of families would be fine.

I'm disappointed that No Other Choice wasn't nominated for Best International Feature (www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...). I found it really great.

(Happy that Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent are in there. Haven't yet seen the others!)

This was a deeply uncomfortable book for me in the best way.

Reposted by David K. Evans

With Nicolás Maduro’s removal, Venezuela now faces uncertainty and possibility.

Dany Bahar & Liliana Rojas-Suarez join @daveevansphd.bsky.social on the CGD podcast to discuss how Venezuela reached this point and how it can chart a path back toward stability and growth:
https://go.cgdev.org/4sOxUJG
The CGD Podcast: Can Venezuela’s Economy Recover? With Dany Bahar and Liliana Rojas-Suarez
Venezuela has experienced one of the deepest economic collapses in modern history, with incomes falling sharply, poverty soaring, and millions forced to leave the country. Following the removal of Nic...
go.cgdev.org

At this critical moment, what's the future of Venezuela's economy? www.cgdev.org/blog/cgd-pod... I recorded a @cgdev.org podcast on this with two of my very knowledgeable colleagues, Dany Bahar and Liliana Rojas-Suarez.
NEW PAPER! We know that lead exposure is bad, but where is it all coming from?

We show that used lead-acid battery recycling is likely much more important than previously thought - perhaps 1/3 of exposure in LMICs.

LINK: www.cgdev.org/publication/...

w/ @theomitchell1.bsky.social & James Hu

First ten movies watched in 2026 letterboxd.com/daveevans/di...

Reposted by David K. Evans

Aid cuts in the UK signals a move from "grants to expertise"—meaning a shift to low-cost technical assistance.

Through his work with African governments, @leecrawfurd.bsky.social shares examples of both good and bad models of technical assistance:
https://go.cgdev.org/45atSBo
How to Do Technical Assistance (Well)
Declining aid budgets are changing how major donors operate. The UK’s Minister for International Development Jenny Chapman has said that UK aid will shift “from grants to expertise” and “from service ...
www.cgdev.org

The complicated impacts of maternity leave garimasharma.com/files/matben...
The Weiss Fund has a great new initiative for development economists on the PhD job market to support those taking up research positions in LMICs, offering supplementary income + research funds. Please share!
Weiss Fellowship for Junior Researchers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries - Weiss Fund
The Weiss Fund Fellowship provides supplementary financial support for exceptional job market PhD candidates accepting positions in Weiss Fund-eligible countries and doing work aligned with the Weiss ...
weissfund.uchicago.edu

Go along with the crowd and read the highlighted papers that everyone else is reading... academic.oup.com/wbro

Is anyone aware of a review of best practices (or just a survey of actual practices) on people for participating in a survey? Or studies of how compensation affects participation or accuracy?

(I'm interested in studies from anywhere: high-, middle-, and low-income countries.)

2026 ECON5k AWARDS CEREMONY
YouTube video by Daniel Bergstresser
www.youtube.com