Theme 1: Land Titling
Project 1: Land Titling and Credit

Property rights are often cited as a prerequisite for economic development. In 1996, Peru issued over 1.2 million property titles to urban squatters, significantly enhancing property rights. Taking advantage of this initiative, this project studies the relationship between property rights and credit access.

Country: Peru
Funding: IADB, USAID, World Bank

Theme 1: Role of Dowry
Project 1: Marriage and Dowry

The influence of marriage on child health, education investments, fertility and gender equality outcomes cannot be understated. With this in mind, the project seeks to answer whether is the legal framework surrounding the institution is conducive to these goals. The project answers these questions in the context of Bangladeshi marriage markets.

Country: Bangladesh
Funding: National Science Foundation, Institute for Advanced Study, South Asian Initiative at Harvard University, Islamic Legal Program at Harvard University

Theme 3: Corruption
Project: A Field Experiment On Crime

The costs associated with behaviors like shirking and stealing are shared by both firms and individuals and can create barriers to the development of markets. Measuring these costs is difficult since information is not available. This field experiment identifies opportunistic crime in the delivery of mail, an essential task for trade. Trade or online commerce cannot take place unless a reliable system for transporting goods is in place. The project manipulates the content and information available in mail sent to households across neighborhoods that vary by income and detects high levels of shirking and stealing.

  • Castillo, Marco; Petrie, Ragan; Torero, Maximo; and Viceisza, Angelino, 2014. “Lost in The Mail: A Field Experiment on Crime,” Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 52(1), pages 285-303, January.
Country: Peru
Funding: Authors