Blog Profile / Chris Blattman's Blog
| URL : | http://chrisblattman.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Academics / Political Science | |
| Posts on Regator: | 2061 | |
| Posts / Week: | 8.2 | |
| Archived Since: | July 25, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Where property rights really come from
Amara’s daycare (which, as you would expect, is the caricature of the overachieving and neurotic Manhattan nursery) doesn’t believe in sharing. If a Amara has a toy and Billy wants it, Amara is taught not to give it to Billy. … Continue reading ?
More on geography and institutions: The long term effects of the TseTse fly
The TseTse fly is unique to the African continent and transmits a parasite harmful to humans and lethal to livestock. This paper tests the hypothesis that the presence of the TseTse reduced the ability of Africans to generate an agricultural … Continue reading ?
What is the best international studies blog?
Duck of Minerva is taking nominations. Voting will take place in a few weeks, it seems. For now they are soliciting more candidates. Their current list has many interesting blogs there I had not seen before. I wonder why the FP bloggers … Continue reading ?
Links I liked
Advice on getting a job in development Truly amazing sleight of hand Reminders about what regressions really are What number is halfway between 1 and 9? Why children and hunter-gatherers say “3?
Colonialism and economic development in Africa
In this paper we evaluate the impact of colonialism on development in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the world context, colonialism had very heterogeneous effects, operating through many mechanisms, sometimes encouraging development sometimes retarding it. In the African case, however, this heterogeneity is muted, making … Continue reading ?
Presenting at Fletcher school Monday
I’m presenting an updated version of this paper at the Fletcher School/Econ department at Tufts, in Cabot 205, 3:30-4:45 tomorrow.
Lazy man’s book reviews and blog post (or, What I’ve been reading)
The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld, by Herbert Asbury. The (non-fiction) book that sparked the Scorcese movie. Possibly the most amazing collection of historical tales I have read. Will cure you of any notion that the US … Continue reading ?
Seeing like an anarchist
What I aim to show is that if you put on anarchist glasses and look at the history of popular movements, revolutions, ordinary politics, and the state from that angle, certain insights will appear that are obscured from almost any … Continue reading ?
“Goodnight Nanny-Cam”
In the great green-certified room There was a smartphone And a silver spoon And a picture of— A high-contrast, brain-stimulating black-and-white moon And there was a musical concert by Baby Mozart And high window guards And French flash cards And … Continue reading ?
Links I liked
Bill Clinton sent just two emails as President Transitioning African liberation movements to governments, a report (h/t David Shinn) Why are hotel rooms expensive? How Ghana went from being one of the poorest countries in the world one day to … Continue reading ?
A fairly difficult exam
My Political Economy of African Development exam. I wanted to ask hard questions, so they get them three weeks in advance. The students are strong, and up to it. They can be thankful, at least, that I am not taking … Continue readin...
In which Stephen Colbert attacks my brother, and my brother hits back
It only occurred to me, in retrospect, that my brothers-in-law and I were engaged covertly in a contest to see who could get on the Colbert Report first. Sure, all of our chances were very close to zero. Very, very … Continue readin...
The roots of reciprocity
In many cultures and industries gift giving is a common practice to influence behavior, often at the expense of a third party. Examples include business gifts given by suppliers to procurement managers, by pharmaceutical companies to physicians or by lobbyists … Continue reading ?
How wide is the Atlantic?
ODI’s Marta Foreti adds her voice to the ongoing corruption and development debate. My favorite bit: According to recent research by ODI and IPPR the UK public is ready for a more open and honest conversation about what generates development. ‘The public’, … Continue reading ?
New evidence on microfinance
A new randomized trial from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The study population consists of loan applicants that regular screening would have marginally rejected. Access to credit allowed borrowers to start and expand small-scale businesses. Households that already had a business and … Continue reading ?
More on corruption and development (AR and MR speak)
Here is a conjecture: corruption is a way for many economists and policymakers to talk about bad political outcomes without talking about politics. As long as the discussion is not about politics, there can always be a simple, non-political solution, … Continue reading ?
Links I liked
Map of the day: Visualizing the global arms trade (interactive — use Chrome) with explanation Innovations in landmine clearance Crickets that live near highways change their tune to overcome roadside noise What happens when you set a Twinkie on fire? … Continue reading ?
The new farmers?
…the ranks of computer software engineers, including app writers, increased nearly 8 percent in 2010 to more than a million, according to the latest available government data for that category. These software engineers now outnumber farmers and have almost caught … Continue reading ?
Links I liked
What’s the impact of information and jobs on girls’ HIV infection rates in Uganda? What have we learned from 5 years of research on African power and politics? Women as academic authors, by discipline, 1665-2010 Map of the day: Where … Continue reading ?
What do I need Twitter for, anyways?
For everyone who’s ever wondered “what do I need Twitter for, anyway”, it turns out that the surprising answer is: “keeping track of sovereign state declarations of war.” No, really. My post-Hurricane Sandy restoration of internet services kicked in just in … Continue reading ?