Uniting people from diverse cultures is a founding principle of many nation states. Throughout history, leaders have introduced policies to foster a national identity in which citizens remain connected by shared history and values, despite never meeting one another. However, rising geographic mobility and increasing diversity within states may complicate the process of creating a […]
Many nations have set quotas reserving a certain portion of seats in government for women, including India, South Africa and Switzerland. While quotas are meant to ensure female political representation, the data on whether they also advance economic gender equality is mixed. Some scholars contend that female political representatives boost women’s ability to voice policy […]
In 2016, Saudi Arabia announced Vision 2030, an ambitious new framework to guide the kingdom’s next decade and a half of development. The central goals of the framework include diversifying the Saudi economy, strengthening government programs and investing in education and workforce development. As part of the latter objective, the Vision 2030 plan acknowledges the […]
Each year, over 2.5 million children die within the first 28 days of birth, with three out of four of these neonatal deaths occurring in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, many low- and middle-income countries are becoming increasingly exposed to adverse environmental stresses such as ambient fine particulate air pollution, which […]
Despite recent global progress towards reducing maternal morbidity and mortality, nearly 830 women continue to die each day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, with most of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Maternal health services like antenatal and skilled delivery care can both improve maternal health and reduce maternal deaths […]
Throughout the world, one of the striking facts about economic geography is that firms and workers tend to cluster in certain places. Researchers have offered many different explanations for spatial concentration, including transport costs, natural advantages and productivity spillovers. Although economic factors are of doubtless importance, politics may also influence the location decisions of firms […]
In developing countries, manufacturing firms are often characterized by small scale and persistently low growth. Such firms are constrained by restricted access to markets, capital and technologies, as well as by unfavorable investment climates. To spur industrial growth, many developing countries have established special economic zones, a particular place-based policy that provides tax incentives and […]
In economic literature, productivity spillovers refer to events at a firm that lead to ripple effects at another firm. Previous research has investigated spillover effects resulting from multinational firms receiving foreign direct investment and then transferring knowledge to domestic firms. Identification of productivity spillovers between firms is a challenging task, and estimation typically requires data […]
Since the end of the Cold War, the rise of religion in politics led some to predict the 21st century would be “God’s Century.” While this phenomenon has affected every major religious tradition, support for religious politics varies widely between and within societies. Little is known about why some societies—often within the same religious tradition—embrace […]
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends women wait at least 24 months after a live birth before attempting the next pregnancy in order to reduce the risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. However, fertility may return as soon as four weeks after delivery, and because most women are unaware of this timeline, they […]