The Policy Research Report Localizing Development brings analytical rigor to a field that
has been the subject of intense debate and advocacy, and billions of dollars in development …

Inequalities in access to education pose a significant barrier to development. It has been
argued that this reflects, in part, borrowing constraints that inhibit private investment in human …

Commitment failure lies at the core of incomplete contract theory, yet its quantitative significance
has rarely been assessed. Using detailed plot-level data from rural Pakistan, we find …

In many emerging democracies women are less likely to vote than men and, when they do
vote, are likely to follow the wishes of male household and clan heads. We assess the impact …

Can marriage institutions limit marital inefficiency? We study the pervasive custom of watta
satta in rural Pakistan, a bride exchange between families coupled with a mutual threat of …

Influenced by Amartya Sen, over the last decade, The World Bank has allocated nearly US$80
billion to local participatory development projects targeting poverty, improved public …

Community-based and -driven development projects have become an important form of
development assistance, with the World Bank's portfolio alone approximating $7 billion. A …

Informal lenders appear to be thriving even in regions where microfinance institutions (MFIs),
such as the Grameen Bank, have established lending programs. We suggest that an …

This paper identifies the relative importance of human and physical capital for entrepreneurship.
A subset of rural microfinance clients were offered eight full time days of business …

This paper identifies the relative importance of human and physical capital for entrepreneurship.
Microfinance clients were offered business training and a loan lottery of up to seven …