This paper  investigates the impact of childhood exposure to conflict on later political beliefs and engagement in 17 sub-Saharan African countries. Despite the well-documented “conflict trap” in which regions with histories of conflict are at higher risk of future conflicts, the study finds that exposure to conflict during childhood (ages 0-14) has minimal standardized effects on later political attitudes and behaviors. This result holds across various definitions, specifications, and data sources. While previous research has suggested that conflict disrupts economic growth and can perpetuate violence, this study suggests that these effects are not primarily driven by changes in political beliefs and engagement during childhood. The research provides insights into the resilience of individuals and communities in the aftermath of

This study examines the impact of workplace-based soft skills training on the productivity of Indian garment workers. The study finds that such training leads to significant productivity gains, with treated workers becoming 13.5% more productive than their untreated counterparts. These gains are particularly pronounced when trainees work in teams alongside their coworkers, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and collaboration skills. Interestingly, even untreated coworkers on the same production lines as the trained workers show increased productivity, suggesting positive spillover effects. However, despite the productivity improvements and higher promotion probabilities among trained workers, the study finds no effects on wages or worker retention, indicating labor market frictions. Nevertheless, the firm experiences substantial net returns, with a 256% return on investment

Most research on private governance examines the design and negotiation of particular initiatives or their operation and effectiveness once established, with relatively little work on why firms join in the first place. We contribute to this literature by exploring firms’ willingness to participate in two recent, high-profile private initiatives established in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza disaster in the Bangladesh ready-made garment (RMG) sector: the Accord on Building and Fire Safety and the Alliance for Worker Safety in Bangladesh. We are able to positively attribute only a minority of US RMG imports from Bangladesh to Accord and Alliance signatories. Firms headquartered in the USA were much less likely to sign onto remediation plans, especially the Accord.

The United States and Mexico face a powerful onslaught of criminal activity damaging both countries. They need to step up cooperation now. U.S. threats are counterproductive. What if Mexico threatened a 25 percent tariff on American corn and soybeans unless U.S. citizens stopped providing the estimated $19-29 billion in drug sale profits each year to Mexican criminal groups? Or, what if Mexico threatened to impose tariffs on American pork until the United States stops the illegal flow of automatic weapons and ammunition across the shared border?

Over the more than two decades of free trade between Mexico and the United States (1994-2018), there has been an important alignment between the countries on strategic and security matters. This paper provides a road map for U.S.-Mexico bilateral cooperation on security matters for the next six years, under the presidency in Mexico of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It offers concrete and implementable policy recommendations for the current context of U.S.-Mexican relations. Our recommendations for advancing Mexican and U.S. interests and promoting effective cooperation broadly fall into three categories of joint policy action: (1) aligning policy objectives, (2) deepening subnational cooperation, and (3) addressing chronic irritants.