Economics serving society

November 2019

How to set up an efficient friend-based ranking mechanism?

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Francis Bloch* and Matthew Olckers

In many instances, agents are asked to rank their peers. In large MOOCs, students are asked to evaluate each other, members of program committees and editorial boards of journals rank the papers of their colleagues, villagers in developing countries are asked to rank each other on the basis of resources or talent. While these methods are commonly used, there is very little theoretical investigation of the (positive) properties of existing methods and the (normative) recommendations for ...

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Malaria, mosquito nets and infant mortality in Africa

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Denis Cogneau* and Pauline Rossi

Reducing infant mortality has been one of the greatest development gains in sub-Saharan Africa. Between 1990 and 2015, the risk of dying before the age of 12 months was halved, down from 10.8% to 5.5%. At present, we know little about the factors behind this success, although the fight against malaria is often mentioned. One of the reasons is that the “Roll Back Malaria” programme, mostly financed with international aid, has distributed massive numbers of insecticide-treated ...

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Women and finance

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Gunther Capelle-Blancard, Jézabel Couppey-Soubeyran* and Antoine Reberioux

What is the place of women in the world of finance? Are their preferences and attitudes different from those of men? If yes, are these differences biological or social? What are the implications in terms of saving, portfolio choice, access to credit and careers? Do women suffer as a result? How can they break through the glass ceiling? Do women manage financial and non-financial firms differently from men? These questions are central to a rapidly growing literature ...

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How does uncertainty shape firms’ export decisions?

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José de Sousa, Anne-Célia Disdier* et Carl Gaigné

According to recent surveys by Capgemini, demand uncertainty is a key factor in the decisions of international companies. This view is consistent with the empirical evidence that uncertainty plays a crucial role in a wide range of economic outcomes, such as investment, output and price decisions. Trade theory typically assumes that consumer expenditures in foreign markets are known with certainty. Accordingly, ...

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How education varies over the business cycle and what are the implications for social mobility?

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Clément Malgouyres*

Educational choices are likely to vary over the business cycle. Whenever it is more difficult to find a job, earnings foregone while at school, i.e. the opportunity cost of schooling decreases. At the same time, without those earnings, or with reduced parental earnings, it might be more difficult to finance post-compulsory education. Existing evidence shows that, on average, education tends to be counter-cyclical. However, it is not ...

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* Members of the Paris School of Economics