Public Outreach

Over the last few decades, the amount of money given in development aid has increased considerably in recent decades, from 86 billion constant US dollars in 2002 to 223 billion in 2023. However, challenges associated with development persist, raising the question of aid effectiveness. Is it the size of the budgets allocated that is lacking, or is it the way in which this aid is spent? Economist Nathalie Ferrière explores the issue.

When universities award scholarships, a large portion of the budget is taken up by administrative costs, reducing the amount that students actually receive. Economists Mohamed Belhaj, Frédéric Deroïan and Shahir Safi, demonstrate that where there are good working synergies between students, targeting a strategic sub-group of students rather than distributing funding evenly can optimise efficiency and reduced administrative costs.

Could rising property prices help create a fairer society? Following in a long tradition of economic thinking, Alain Trannoy and Etienne Wasmer suggest restructuring French taxation around property: land value assets, rather than capital or labour.

Tools often used around the world to measure inequality, such as the Gini index, can act in unexpected ways in certain situations. This is highlighted by economists F. A. Cowell and E. Flachaire.

What do the purchase of PSG by Qatar, Beijing's influence on New York real estate, and Norway's stakes in Total have in common? These investments are from sovereign wealth funds - investment funds owned by states. Economists Jeanne Amar and Christelle Lecourt have examined the reasons why these funds might seek to have, or continue without, stricter governance.

Is it possible to combine work and family obligations without compromising either? Childcare is an essential factor in the equation. Research by economists Mathieu Lefebvre, Laurène Thil, and Laté A. Lawson reveals how childcare practices vary from country to country, and depend on the mother's socio-economic status.

Economic interests often lie behind the funding of political parties. In the United States, private donations are said to represent a privileged channel through which companies seek favours from the federal government in obtaining public contracts. This is the hypothesis of a team of economic researchers who have looked into the risk of favouritism associated with campaign donations.

Mostly unknown outside academic circles, the social discount rate (SDR) is vital for understanding the value of infrastructure investments far into the future. But if that’s especially relevant in a world threatened by climate change, governments and economists have long argued exactly what discount rate to use, or if a fixed rate is even necessary. Economists Christian Gollier, Frederick van der Ploeg and Jiakun Zheng recently developed a major survey to gauge opinion on the SDR across their profession. Between the theoretical importance of project-specific discount rates, and a reluctance to tweak rates in practice, their findings are worth exploring – especially once you consider the need to expand the debate beyond economics.

Can mining influence the way in which we identify ourselves? According to economists Nicolas Berman, Mathieu Couttenier and Victoire Girard, mining in Africa may intensify feelings of ethnic belonging, by generating feelings of deprivation among the local population. Mining could therefore help explain ethnic fragmentation and certain conflicts observed in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Consensus conferences, citizens' assemblies, neighbourhood councils, etc. Since the 1980s, deliberation has emerged as a response to the crisis of democracy. But how do you measure its value and impact? For the first time, a team of researchers has studied the role of the tools used to gather participants' opinions.