
16 UNU-WIDER articles, publications, projects, experts...
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Working Paper
Informal institutions, transaction risk, and firm productivity in MyanmarIn many low-income transition countries, where formal institutions such as courts do not function effectively, informal institutions are often used by firms to minimize transaction risks. We examine the role of informal institutions, in the forms of...
Journal Article
Informal institutions, transaction risk, and firm productivity in MyanmarIn many low-income transition countries, where formal institutions such as courts do not function effectively, informal institutions are often used by firms to minimize transaction risks. We examine the role of informal institutions, in the forms of...
Journal Article
Poverty, social networks, and clientelismPart of Journal Special Issue Clientelist Politics and Development
Working Paper
The gendered crisis: livelihoods and mental well-being in India during COVID-19This paper studies the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the gendered dimensions of employment and mental health among urban informal-sector workers in India. First, we find that men’s employment declined by 84 percentage points post-pandemic relative...
Working Paper
Exploring economic support networks amidst racial inequality in NamibiaCommunity or interpersonal support as a critical source of livelihood sustenance in the Global South can exhibit unequal dynamics. An understanding of these practices is primarily tied to the conceptual space of poverty or small communities. Less is...
Policy Brief
Six sets of policy actions to promote social mobilityPromoting social mobility is an essential task of development, and a multi-faceted one. Precarious livelihoods are widespread. Containing downward mobility is an important precondition for sustaining upward mobility. Policies of human capital...
Working Paper
Poverty, social networks, and clientelismWhy are the poor susceptible to clientelism, and what factors shield them from the influence of vote buying? We explore the role of both formal and informal social networks in shaping the likelihood of being targeted with private inducements. We...
Journal Article
Normalizing necessity?Community support is a critical source to sustain livelihoods in the Global South. At the same time, these practices can exhibit unequal dynamics such as disincentives, hierarchies, or adverse inclusion of individuals. However, an understanding of...
Book Chapter
Social networks as levers of mobilityPart of Book Social Mobility in Developing Countries
Working Paper
Diffusion of agricultural innovations in Guinea-BissauThis paper analyses the pathways of technology diffusion through social networks, following the experimental introduction of new technologies in Guinea-Bissau. In the context of an agricultural extension project, we document both the direct effects...
Working Paper
Social networks, role models, peer effects, and aspirationsWe review the literature on pathways through which social networks may influence social mobility in developing countries. We find that social networks support members in tangible ways—via access to opportunities for migration, credit, trading...
Working Paper
Social networks, geographic proximity, and firm performance in VietnamThis paper uses panel data to assess the relative importance of social networks and geographic proximity to micro, small, and medium enterprises in Vietnam. The results suggest that a larger social network, and hiring employees mainly through social...
Working Paper
Making sense of multi-level and multi-actor governance of recovery in UkraineThis paper sheds light on the complex recovery governance in Ukraine by providing a snapshot of the evolving national recovery actors’ networks and examining them within a multi-level governance framework, using interviews, social network analysis...
Journal Article
The gendered crisisTHIS ARTICLE IS ON EARLY VIEW | This article studies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gendered dimensions of employment and mental health among urban informal-sector workers in Delhi, India. First, the study finds that men’s employment...
Working Paper
Exploring the network of individuals that influence the media’s inflation message in South AfricaThe main goal of this study—and its potential to add to the policy debate—is to cast light on the network of voices that influence the narrative about inflation and monetary policy in South Africa. To that end, this paper first identifies the main...