Duncan Webb
@duncanwebb.bsky.social
Development economics postdoc @ Princeton, incoming Assistant Prof @ NOVA SBE, focusing on discrimination, social change, and human capital
www.duncan-webb.com
www.duncan-webb.com
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Big new blogpost!
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
December 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Big new blogpost!
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
🔥Very cool paper showing that women in India are way more likely to take up a job (↑29%) in a female-only workplace, and that this can be explained by husbands' jealousy/desire for control. These are massive effects, equivalent to 2.5x increases in wage
bit.ly/4nn9apn
bit.ly/4nn9apn
December 2, 2025 at 2:31 PM
🔥Very cool paper showing that women in India are way more likely to take up a job (↑29%) in a female-only workplace, and that this can be explained by husbands' jealousy/desire for control. These are massive effects, equivalent to 2.5x increases in wage
bit.ly/4nn9apn
bit.ly/4nn9apn
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Exciting news on @malengo.org, the NGO that helps East African students move to Europe for education: Our research team has given us a glimpse of their early findings!
Here is the full writeup, joint with @richardnerland.bsky.social:
forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/CpZYHk...
Thread follows!
Here is the full writeup, joint with @richardnerland.bsky.social:
forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/CpZYHk...
Thread follows!
November 27, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Exciting news on @malengo.org, the NGO that helps East African students move to Europe for education: Our research team has given us a glimpse of their early findings!
Here is the full writeup, joint with @richardnerland.bsky.social:
forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/CpZYHk...
Thread follows!
Here is the full writeup, joint with @richardnerland.bsky.social:
forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/CpZYHk...
Thread follows!
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Going to leave you with a Home Office chart from their most recent asylum stats so you can decide whether the UK is a magnet for asylum seekers with a uniquely generous asylum system www.gov.uk/government/s...
November 17, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Going to leave you with a Home Office chart from their most recent asylum stats so you can decide whether the UK is a magnet for asylum seekers with a uniquely generous asylum system www.gov.uk/government/s...
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Elsevier has a 38% profit margin, and the other journal publishers aren't far behind.
"academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it... The dominant four collectively generated... $12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024."
November 18, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Elsevier has a 38% profit margin, and the other journal publishers aren't far behind.
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Good morning with good news: India meets 50% renewables & nuclear capacity target 5 years early!
As clean capacity deploys, clean electricity production surges.
Solar grew from 5 TWh in 2014 to 48 TWh in 2019 & 137 TWh in 2024.
Hydro was 157 TWh; wind 82 TWh; nuclear 55 TWh in 2024. #energysky
As clean capacity deploys, clean electricity production surges.
Solar grew from 5 TWh in 2014 to 48 TWh in 2019 & 137 TWh in 2024.
Hydro was 157 TWh; wind 82 TWh; nuclear 55 TWh in 2024. #energysky
November 17, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Good morning with good news: India meets 50% renewables & nuclear capacity target 5 years early!
As clean capacity deploys, clean electricity production surges.
Solar grew from 5 TWh in 2014 to 48 TWh in 2019 & 137 TWh in 2024.
Hydro was 157 TWh; wind 82 TWh; nuclear 55 TWh in 2024. #energysky
As clean capacity deploys, clean electricity production surges.
Solar grew from 5 TWh in 2014 to 48 TWh in 2019 & 137 TWh in 2024.
Hydro was 157 TWh; wind 82 TWh; nuclear 55 TWh in 2024. #energysky
Reposted by Duncan Webb
In the last decades, the world has made fantastic progress against extreme poverty. In 1990, 2.3 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Since then, the number of extremely poor people has declined by 1.5 *billion* people. 🧵
November 17, 2025 at 11:24 AM
In the last decades, the world has made fantastic progress against extreme poverty. In 1990, 2.3 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Since then, the number of extremely poor people has declined by 1.5 *billion* people. 🧵
Reposted by Duncan Webb
1/ Egalitarianism should begin at home. I link to this article by @bencasselman.bsky.social in light of the communications between Larry Summers and Jeffrey Epstein that have just been released. The released emails and the fact of friendship are vile.
www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/b...
www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/b...
For Women in Economics, the Hostility Is Out in the Open (Published 2021)
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:32 PM
1/ Egalitarianism should begin at home. I link to this article by @bencasselman.bsky.social in light of the communications between Larry Summers and Jeffrey Epstein that have just been released. The released emails and the fact of friendship are vile.
www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/b...
www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/b...
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Dropping a beta version of this page while everyone is up and processing baseball!
This tool lets you search the full text of papers from the American Economic Review, American Economic Journal series, and over 30,000 NBER working papers.
paulgp.com/econlit-pipe...
This tool lets you search the full text of papers from the American Economic Review, American Economic Journal series, and over 30,000 NBER working papers.
paulgp.com/econlit-pipe...
Economics Literature Search
Full-text search across 15,000+ papers from top economics journals and NBER working papers. Track how empirical methods have evolved over time.
paulgp.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:43 AM
Dropping a beta version of this page while everyone is up and processing baseball!
This tool lets you search the full text of papers from the American Economic Review, American Economic Journal series, and over 30,000 NBER working papers.
paulgp.com/econlit-pipe...
This tool lets you search the full text of papers from the American Economic Review, American Economic Journal series, and over 30,000 NBER working papers.
paulgp.com/econlit-pipe...
Reposted by Duncan Webb
HOLY SHIT they did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.
🧵 1/7
🧵 1/7
October 10, 2025 at 9:46 AM
HOLY SHIT they did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reposted by Duncan Webb
October 8, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Very excited to be starting as a faculty member at NovaSBE, along with 9 other lovely members of the crew! Looking forward to meeting all my fantastic colleagues in Lisbon
September 7, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Very excited to be starting as a faculty member at NovaSBE, along with 9 other lovely members of the crew! Looking forward to meeting all my fantastic colleagues in Lisbon
Fantastic article by Oliver Kim about how to think about GDP measures across long stretches of history (it's hard!)
asteriskmag.com/issues/11/gd...
asteriskmag.com/issues/11/gd...
GDP: We Really Don’t Know How Good We Have It—Asterisk
Everyone loves the hockey stick graph of long-run economic growth. For some, it's the basis of an entire worldview. Unfortunately, the numbers don’t add up.
asteriskmag.com
September 3, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Fantastic article by Oliver Kim about how to think about GDP measures across long stretches of history (it's hard!)
asteriskmag.com/issues/11/gd...
asteriskmag.com/issues/11/gd...
Reposted by Duncan Webb
On one hand, reducing car use reduces urban pollution.
But on the other, everyone likes it and cities become more livable
But on the other, everyone likes it and cities become more livable
August 30, 2025 at 12:43 AM
On one hand, reducing car use reduces urban pollution.
But on the other, everyone likes it and cities become more livable
But on the other, everyone likes it and cities become more livable
Reposted by Duncan Webb
A 4-year limit on student visa length would upend PhD programs.
I know there's a lot happening today, but this is sneaking in under the radar. This proposed new rule would absolutely crush foreign PhD students, potentially making it impossible for them to enroll with any certainty of their ability to finish www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
August 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
A 4-year limit on student visa length would upend PhD programs.
Reposted by Duncan Webb
🌟 Opportunity: Policy Associate for an incredible project in Madagascar 🇲🇬
Our team is hiring a policy associate to support the Ministry of Education in scaling Kilonga - an evidence-based program that improves learning and combats menstrual stigma, reaching 712,000 students.
tinyurl.com/madapolicy
Our team is hiring a policy associate to support the Ministry of Education in scaling Kilonga - an evidence-based program that improves learning and combats menstrual stigma, reaching 712,000 students.
tinyurl.com/madapolicy
Policy Associate - Scaling a Menstrual Hygiene & Stigma Intervention, J-PAL Africa | The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
tinyurl.com
August 2, 2025 at 11:04 AM
🌟 Opportunity: Policy Associate for an incredible project in Madagascar 🇲🇬
Our team is hiring a policy associate to support the Ministry of Education in scaling Kilonga - an evidence-based program that improves learning and combats menstrual stigma, reaching 712,000 students.
tinyurl.com/madapolicy
Our team is hiring a policy associate to support the Ministry of Education in scaling Kilonga - an evidence-based program that improves learning and combats menstrual stigma, reaching 712,000 students.
tinyurl.com/madapolicy
Reposted by Duncan Webb
We're hiring for a short-term (mid-Sept to mid-Dec) role as a field RA on an RCT about rural healthcare in northern Uganda. Must have fieldwork experience and ideally experience in Uganda/East Africa. Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Job Opportunity: Senior Field Research Associate for Uganda-based ODH Health Project
Senior Research Associate Job Description for ODH Health Project Professors Seema Jayachandran, Rebecca Dizon-Ross and Isabelle Cohen and predoc researcher Fiker Negash seek a qualified applicant for ...
rpde.princeton.edu
July 30, 2025 at 11:23 PM
We're hiring for a short-term (mid-Sept to mid-Dec) role as a field RA on an RCT about rural healthcare in northern Uganda. Must have fieldwork experience and ideally experience in Uganda/East Africa. Please share with anyone who might be interested.
Reposted by Duncan Webb
🎙️ In a recent @voxdev.bsky.social talk, NOVAFRICA Scientific Director @catiabatista.bsky.social & Caroline Theoharides discuss key findings from their @science.org paper:
“Brain Drain or Brain Gain? The Impact of High-Skilled Migration on Origin Countries.”
🔗 voxdev.org/topic/migrat...
“Brain Drain or Brain Gain? The Impact of High-Skilled Migration on Origin Countries.”
🔗 voxdev.org/topic/migrat...
July 10, 2025 at 3:53 PM
🎙️ In a recent @voxdev.bsky.social talk, NOVAFRICA Scientific Director @catiabatista.bsky.social & Caroline Theoharides discuss key findings from their @science.org paper:
“Brain Drain or Brain Gain? The Impact of High-Skilled Migration on Origin Countries.”
🔗 voxdev.org/topic/migrat...
“Brain Drain or Brain Gain? The Impact of High-Skilled Migration on Origin Countries.”
🔗 voxdev.org/topic/migrat...
Reposted by Duncan Webb
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
July 10, 2025 at 7:47 PM
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
Reposted by Duncan Webb
Since 2000, Gavi has helped get vaccines to 1.1 billion children. The U.S. announced that, after this year, it’s pulling out all its money. If that happens, Gavi estimates that 75 million children will miss vaccinations over the next five years—and of those, 1.2 million children will die.
July 3, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Since 2000, Gavi has helped get vaccines to 1.1 billion children. The U.S. announced that, after this year, it’s pulling out all its money. If that happens, Gavi estimates that 75 million children will miss vaccinations over the next five years—and of those, 1.2 million children will die.
Reposted by Duncan Webb
According to a UNAIDS analysis, ending PEPFAR-supported programs for people living with HIV could result in an additional 4.2 million deaths by 2029: b-gat.es/4lbD4Lw
July 3, 2025 at 11:26 PM
According to a UNAIDS analysis, ending PEPFAR-supported programs for people living with HIV could result in an additional 4.2 million deaths by 2029: b-gat.es/4lbD4Lw
Reposted by Duncan Webb
USAID has spent $2 billion supporting vaccines through GAVI. In research, published in AEJ:Economic Policy, Kartini Shastry and I find GAVI saved 1.5 million lives at a low cost of $9,000 per child saved. See the writeup of our research in VoxDev:
voxdev.org/topic/health...
voxdev.org/topic/health...
Effective health aid: Evidence from Gavi’s vaccine programme
Coordinated health aid for vaccination has increased coverage rates and saved the lives of children around the world.
voxdev.org
February 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
USAID has spent $2 billion supporting vaccines through GAVI. In research, published in AEJ:Economic Policy, Kartini Shastry and I find GAVI saved 1.5 million lives at a low cost of $9,000 per child saved. See the writeup of our research in VoxDev:
voxdev.org/topic/health...
voxdev.org/topic/health...
Reposted by Duncan Webb
The global vaccine campaign GAVI saved 1.5 million lives so far, as economists @dantortorice.bsky.social and Kartini Shastry have shown.
Now the US Administration, captured by anti-vaccine zealots, will cancel *all* funding for GAVI.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/h...
An act of mass death.
Now the US Administration, captured by anti-vaccine zealots, will cancel *all* funding for GAVI.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/h...
An act of mass death.
USAID has spent $2 billion supporting vaccines through GAVI. In research, published in AEJ:Economic Policy, Kartini Shastry and I find GAVI saved 1.5 million lives at a low cost of $9,000 per child saved. See the writeup of our research in VoxDev:
voxdev.org/topic/health...
voxdev.org/topic/health...
Effective health aid: Evidence from Gavi’s vaccine programme
Coordinated health aid for vaccination has increased coverage rates and saved the lives of children around the world.
voxdev.org
June 26, 2025 at 12:45 AM
The global vaccine campaign GAVI saved 1.5 million lives so far, as economists @dantortorice.bsky.social and Kartini Shastry have shown.
Now the US Administration, captured by anti-vaccine zealots, will cancel *all* funding for GAVI.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/h...
An act of mass death.
Now the US Administration, captured by anti-vaccine zealots, will cancel *all* funding for GAVI.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/h...
An act of mass death.