Week of July 20, 2015

1. Transfers and Subsidies: India's plan to provide subsidies electronically through bank accounts, biometric ID cards, mobile transfers (also know as JAM) can reduce leakage and increase efficiency but what are its limitations? Does it really have the potential to be "the holy grail of efficient and equitable welfare policy?" The New York Times

2. Evidence-Based Policy: The study of deworming pills that launched the RCT movement in development has come into question. But there are a lot of questionsabout the questions.

3. Credit: For rural farmers in India, increasing productivity often means purchasing expensive equipment with a loan, which may be difficult to obtain without collateral or a credit history.  Could a financing model based on demand aggregation delivered through a local cooperative/bank partnership help? NextBillion

4. Poverty in the US: A new report shows child poverty in the US is worse now than it was before the Great Recession, especially for African-American and Native American children, despite strides toward economic recovery. PBS Newshour

5. Mobile Money: Mobile money penetration and growth varies dramatically from country to country. In both Indonesia and South Africa, regulatory complexities contribute to the sluggish adoption rates for digital financial products. The Wall Street Journal  and TechCentral

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