Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)

?? How did a one-time cash transfer program boost economic activity in Kenya? In 2014, researchers including CEGA Faculty Co-Director Edward Miguel, Dennis Egger, Johannes Haushofer, Paul Niehaus, and CEGA Staff Scientist Michael Walker — in collaboration with GiveDirectly — began exploring the economic impact of cash transfers in Siaya, Kenya. The team partnered with organizations including Innovations for Poverty Action to collect data on over 60,000 households and 10,000 businesses, and applied a randomized design to evaluate the effect of the payments. ?? Their findings? Each $1 invested generated $2.50 in economic activity, revealing how direct cash transfers can create powerful ripple effects that benefit local economies, not just individual recipients. ?? Want to dive deeper? Check out this video from Money & Macro Media to hear Joeri Schasfoort interview Dennis Egger about the project, or visit CEGA's website to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eXETyiWe

??? Check out this presentation of ATAI-funded research at Paris Peace Forum 2024! ?? CEGA + Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)'s Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative (ATAI) recently co-hosted an event with ATLAS - Agricultural Transitions Lab for African Solutions at #PPF7! ?? The session brought together policymakers, researchers, international organizations, and private sector stakeholders to discuss evidence-backed solutions for sustainable agricultural development in Africa. ?? Key highlights included: - Strategies for building small-scale farmers' resilience to climate change - Innovative financing mechanisms for smallholder farmers - Transforming research into actionable policy opportunities ?? Visit our website to view event recordings: go.cega.org/ATAI-PPF

?? Calling all development researchers! #PacDev2025 submissions are open Join us at the premier West Coast conference on #devecon, hosted by UCLA and University of Southern California! Faculty + junior researchers: submit your projects by Dec. 2. This year, PacDev will feature: ?? A keynote by Karthik Muralidharan of UC San Diego ???? Presentations enhancing our understanding of development research + advancing methods ?? Visit our website to submit — full program and registration details coming in January: go.cega.org/PacDev2025

?? New #CEGABlog ?? From tackling intimate partner violence to revolutionizing credit algorithms, researchers at #E2A2024 unpacked how evidence-based interventions can advance gender equity. In our newest blog post, Program Manager Kristina Hallez recaps key takeaways from the event — including: ?? Jamille Bigio's keynote calling for a narrative shift from the “why” of gender equity funding to the “how” of maximizing the impact of every dollar ?? Soledad Artiz Prillaman's research on an approach to eliminate the gender gap in non-voting political participation in India ?? Important conversations on measurement from panelists Anita Raj, Aletheia Donald, and Alejandro N. Read the full article to read more compelling evidence about how to address gender equity in low- and middle-income countries: go.cega.org/E2A2024Blog

??$1.5M to address seasonal hunger in Malawi Earlier this week, USAID highlighted the 30 new grants that joined the DIV portfolio in 2024 — including CEGA’s project, “Testing a Budgeting Intervention to Address Seasonal Hunger.” To help farming households in Zambia reduce seasonal hunger, researchers Supreet Kaur, Kelsey Jack, Ned Augenblick, Felix Masiye, & Nicholas Swanson designed a simple, low-cost budgeting activity that increased savings by 20% by the start of the hungry season. ???? Since its success in Zambia, the intervention is being adapted to the Malawian context — where CEGA is partnering with?One Acre Fund?to test and evaluate the program on a large scale, which will generate evidence on program benefits and persistence. Want to learn more about CEGA’s work on Seasonal Hunger? Take a look at: ?? The new grant: https://lnkd.in/gfWeZ_Kq ?? This #CEGABlog from Kristina Hallez: https://lnkd.in/gzrMEMdJ ?? Our website: https://lnkd.in/gztQe9Kf

?? “Cash alone — or at the wrong time — may not be enough to save lives. But well-targeted programs + local healthcare could have very high social returns.” Yesterday, CEGA Faculty Director Edward Miguel delivered the 2024 Berkeley Distinguished Faculty Lecture in the Social Sciences. Miguel shared new research from a large-scale cash transfer program in Kenya, which demonstrated that cash transfers, when targeted to pregnant women living close to healthcare, have a powerful effect on child mortality rates. CEGA is proud to support this research — a project that would not have been possible without investments in data collection infrastructure and partnerships with local enumerators and organizations like Innovations for Poverty Action and Remit Kenya. ?? Keep an eye on the UC Berkeley Graduate Division website, where recordings of the lecture will be available soon: https://lnkd.in/gd6gvf6r

?? Are you a researcher, data scientist, or policymaker passionate about ethical data use in low- and middle-income countries? Tomorrow at 9AM PST, join CEGA's Digital Credit Observatory for a webinar on privacy-preserving technologies, featuring panelists Aleksandra Slavkovic of Penn State University and Denish Azamuke of Makerere University. CEGA's Nitin K. will moderate the session, which will explore ways to implement responsible data practices without compromising research impact. ?? Learn more about the event and register: go.cega.org/DCOPanel-Nov20 #dataprivacy #researchethics #globaldev #PrivacyTechnologies

?? This blog from VoxDev is a great resource for learning more about #devecon. Managing Editor Oliver Hanney's list features podcasts, YouTube channels, blogs, and more — and we're happy to be featured alongside a stellar group of organizations: https://lnkd.in/e3bjvKfq ?? To receive the latest insights and evidence on poverty solutions, visit go.cega.org/Newsletter

?? And that's a wrap on one of our favorite events: CEGA's Research Retreat (R^2), our annual gathering of invited faculty members, graduate students, and fellows with a shared interest in impact evaluation for social and economic development. R^2 is designed to generate feedback and discussion around presentations of newly completed, unpublished work by CEGA-affiliated faculty and their colleagues. This year's R^2 featured cutting-edge research on #devecon and public policy, including work by Marco Gonzalez-Navarro on how public infrastructure affects tax compliance in Mexico. His presentation examined how paving streets in poor neighborhoods increased property tax compliance, a powerful example of how public goods can build trust in government. Other highlights include Tanu Kumar's research on citizen accountability in rural India, Jason Kerwin's methodological insights on RCT balance tests, and Francis Annan's work on redistributing transport costs in Ghana. The day closed with a presentation from Travis Lybbert, investigating how gender, culture, and temperature affect prosocial behavior. Thank you to all of our presenters and attendees, whose thoughtful contributions fuel the high-quality evidence that improves lives and accelerates the fight against global poverty.

We had a terrific MOSAIKS workshop at "Autour de L'IA : une immersion au c?ur de l'intelligence artificielle au Togo" offered by Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) & Environmental Markets Lab (emLab) Data Scientist Cullen Molitor. He gave an overview of how MOSAIKS can provide a computationally efficient approach to model a variety of outcomes ranging from deforestation, agricultural production, socioeconomic indicators, and the built environment. He then demonstrated how Tamma Carleton and Darin Christensen are using the tool to more systematically measure artisanal and small scale mines in Africa. It ended with a collaborative coding session (on Colab no less!) for participants to try their hand at coding their own predictive models using LSMS, FEWS NET, and other survey data. Participants walked away with a solid introduction into how satellite imagery and machine learning can help buttress social science research and inform decision-making in Togo and beyond. Deeply grateful to Togbe Agbagla, Min Cina Lawson, and the whole Ministère de l'économie Numérique et de la Transformation Digitale, Togo, and GIZ Togo teams for hosting us.