Politics, Institutions, and Conflict

The Politics, Institutions, and Conflict Initiative sees conflict and disorder as one of the greatest threats to development, and the development of good government as a means to economic prosperity as well as an important end in itself. But what is “good government” and how does it come about, both historically and in the modern day? What causes conflict, and what policies and interventions can move violent fighting into the realm of peaceful political competition?

The Politics, Institutions and Conflict Initiative is led by CDEP Affiliate Suresh Naidu.

Current Projects:

(jump to completed projects)

Lava Jato Beyond the Headlines: Expert Perspectives on a Vast Corruption Scandal

Investigator: CDEP Affiliate Paul Lagunes (edited with Jan Svejnar).

African Mining Booms and Local Welfare

Investigator: CDEP Affiliate Anja Tolonen.

The Watchful Eye and the Cracking Whip: A Field Experiment on Corruption Monitoring in Mexico

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Paul Lagunes.

Completed Projects:

Improving the Effectiveness of Public Procurement

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Andrea Prat (with Oriana Bandiera, Michael Best, and Adnan Khan).

Worker Mobility in a Global Labor Market: Evidence from the United Arab Emirates

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Suresh Naidu, Yaw Nyarko from New York University and Shing-Yi Wang from University of Pennsylvania.

Historical Origins of Persistent Inequality

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Belinda Archibong.

Economic Shocks and Crime: Evidence from the Brazilian Trade Liberalization

Investigator: CDEP Affiliate Rodrigo Soares.

The Impacts of An Innovative Audit Strategy on the Amount and Incidence of Retail Tax Evasion: Mystery Shoppers and Electronic Billing Machines

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Francois Gerard with Nada Eissen and Andrew Zeitlin.

Election by Community Consensus: Effects on Political Selection and Governance

Investigator: CDEP Fellow Ashna Arora.

One-Two Punch Approach to Fighting Corruption in Public Infrastructure

Investigator: CDEP Affiliate Paul Lagunes.

Inequality and Corruption at the Crossroads: A Multi-Method Study of Bribery and Discrimination in Latin America

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Paul Lagunes with Brian Fried and Atheendar Venkataramani.

Dynamic Transparency: An Audit of Mexico's Freedom of Information Act

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Paul Lagunes with Oscar Poscasangre.

Democracy, Inequality, and Economic Development

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Suresh Naidu with Daron Acemoglu, James Robinson, and Pascual Restrepo.

Elite Family Networks and the Origins of Dictatorships: Theory and Evidence from Haiti

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Suresh Naidu with Lauren Young and James Robinson.

Social Engineering in the Tropics: Case Study Evidence from East Congo

Investigators: CDEP Affiliate Macartan Humphreys, CDEP Student Affiliate Raul Sanchez de la Sierra, and Peter van der Windt of New York Univeristy Abu Dhabi.

Bandits or States? Stationary Bandits and Taxation in Eastern Congo

Investigators: CDEP Fellow Raul Sanchez de la Sierra and Gauthier Marchais from the London School of Economics.

Predicting Local Violence

Investigators: Chris Blattman, Robert Blair, and Alexandra Hartman from Yale University.