Gender Legal Reforms in Zambia: Motivated by International Conventions
In 2023, Zambia ranked 17th among African countries on the World Bank’s Women Business and the Law index, a notable decline over a half century. The...
Does Board Size Matter?
This paper uses legal board size requirements to test whether board size affects firm performance and value. Since 1976, the minimum size of German...
Informality as an Anti-Measure of Prosperity
In developing economies, the informal sector can account for upwards of 60% of GDP and over 90% of employment. The data show wide disparity in...
Gender Reform in Rwanda: Change Spurred by Tragedy
Rwanda is among Africa’s leaders in providing equal opportunity between women and men in the economy. Progress in achieving this substantial progress...
Economic backwardness in Russia
Western sanctions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have markedly changed the constitution of President Putin’s inner circle. This column argues that...
The all-out aggression requires an all-out response
As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, the need for increased global support becomes more apparent. This column illustrates this need with two...
How the war is increasing inequality in Russia
The economic sanctions on Russia have had wide-ranging debilitating effects, from asset freezes to individuals’ travel bans and the dissolution of...
The economic toll of attacks on Ukraine’s power grid
Electricity blackouts caused by Russian rocket attacks on the power grid have become a daily occurrence in Ukraine. This column estimates the economic...
Flat tax reform in Ukraine: Lessons from Bulgaria
Developing a tax system which limits tax evasion is a key challenge for many emerging markets. This column argues that introducing a flat tax as a...
Research highlight
Measuring the welfare cost of asymmetric information in consumer credit markets
Journal of Financial Economics, 146 (3), 821-840
Ukraine’s wages and job loss trends during the war
Many statistical reports in Ukraine have been suspended since the start of Russia’s invasion, including on labour markets. This column uses wage...
ASC Insight: Bank capital regulation and climate change
Climate change has become a major topic of discussion at central banks and financial regulators. Key aspects of this debate include whether and how...
Assessment of damages to Ukraine’s productive capacity
The ongoing war in Ukraine has resulted in large damages to both public infrastructure and private corporate assets. The extent of these damages will...
Total factor productivity growth: we need a new drug
Creating the innovations that drive total factor productivity (TFP) growth takes both ideas and firms that process those ideas into new products or...
Measuring Ukraine’s private consumption during the war
As Russia’s invasion continues to ravage many parts of Ukraine, the flow of official statistical data has been erratic. This column outlines an...
