By Naomi Frim-Abrams On February 26, 2025, the Spring 2025 Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Seminar Series at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center hosted Kristopher Velasco, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, to share his work “Queering Repression: How the Global Crackdown on Civil Society Affects LGBT+ NGO Foundings.” Velasco’s research explores how […]
By Naomi Frim-Abrams On November 20, 2024, the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) hosted Jon Denton-Schneider, Assistant Professor of Economics at Clark University, for the final installment of the 2024 Fall HCI Research Seminar Series. He presented his joint work with Eduardo Montero at the University of Chicago titled, “Disease, Disparities, and Development: Evidence from Chagas […]
By Naomi Frim-Abrams On October 23, 2024, the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) hosted Nina Brooks, Core Faculty Member of HCI at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center and Assistant Professor of Global Health with the Boston University School of Public Health, as part of the 2024 Fall HCI Research Seminar Series, to present her […]
By Naomi Frim-Abrams On September 25, 2024, the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) hosted Emily Sellars from the Department of Political Science at Yale University for the first session of the Fall 2024 HCI Research Seminar Series to discuss her forthcoming book “The Politics of Exit: Emigration, Collective Action, and Agrarian Reform in Mexico.” To assess […]
In 2017, the Trump administration reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy (MCP) as the “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance” (PLGHA) policy, forbidding international organizations receiving US health assistance from promoting abortion. Existing evidence suggests that abortion rates rise under the MCP, but the direct effect of US funding restrictions on supply and use […]
In Kenya, interpersonal violence (IPV) is an issue of major public health concern, with 24 percent of Kenyan women reporting physical violence from a current husband or partner. IPV has profound impacts on physical and mental health outcomes, particularly for pregnant women; it has been found to increase the risk of perinatal mortality, low birth […]
By Naomi Frim-Abrams On May 8, the Human Capital Initiative hosted Orazio Attanasio for the final session of the Human Capital Initiative Spring Research Seminar Series with a presentation on “Parental Beliefs and Parental Investment: Evidence from Colombia.” Attanasio discussed his published paper, which analyzed the results of a parenting stimulation program implemented in Colombia. […]
By Naomi Frim-Abrams The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) is excited to announce the first winners of its inaugural Incubation Grant. Solomon Owusu and David Lagakos will be conducting their project, “Why are measured hours of work so low for agricultural workers?” through the grant’s support. “We are thrilled to see this project get started and […]
By Tim Hirschel-Burns In late January, the United Nations released the zero draft of the Pact for the Future, the outcome document of the Summit of the Future. The Summit of the Future is scheduled for September 22-23, 2024, ahead of the high-level General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. […]
By Ananya Agarwal Public servants worldwide face legal restrictions, to varying degrees, on their ability to leave the public sector to represent private interests for personal gain before the government in which they served. So-called “revolving door laws” often involve constraints on how a former official may interact with government (e.g., whether they can interact […]