Inferring Policy Objectives from Economic Outcomes*

Rethinking the policy objectives of development aid: From economic growth to conflict prevention

The current consensus objective of development aid in the international community is to reduce poverty in general and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in particular. In addition, the dominant view identifies economic growth as the principal means to this end. But the policy objective of aid can be defined in many ways, and has in fact varied over time with shifting priorities ...

Financial Literacy and Economic Outcomes: Evidence and Policy Implications.

This paper reviews what we have learned over the past decade about financial literacy and its relationship to financial decision-making around the world. Using three questions, we have surveyed people in several countries to determine whether they have the fundamental knowledge of economics and finance needed to function as effective decision-makers. We find that levels of financial literacy ar...

Maine’s Culture of Reuse and Its Potential to Advance Environmental and Economic Policy Objectives

Inferring personal economic status from social network location

It is commonly believed that patterns of social ties affect individuals' economic status. Here we translate this concept into an operational definition at the network level, which allows us to infer the economic well-being of individuals through a measure of their location and influence in the social network. We analyse two large-scale sources: telecommunications and financial data of a whole c...

Selecting Road-Noise Abatement Measures: Economic Analysis of Different Policy Objectives

To satisfy new legislation, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration implemented a national façade insulation program encompassing 2,500 dwellings exposed to high levels of road traffic noise. Thereby, the road owner brought the equivalent noise levels from road traffic in compliance with a new indoor limit of 42dB. Cost-effectiveness analyses show that façade insulation was the least expensiv...