⌛️ Don't miss out! This May, the BIG Lab will host a two-day colloquium on debt relief in the Global South, convening scholars and practitioners to examine current challenges and policy responses.

Join the conversation and contribute to the dialogue.
Register here: buff.ly/uL4qXMp

BIG Lab in Action How far forward are the impacts of free primary education felt? A research project at the Building Inclusive Growth (BIG) Lab examines if free primary s...

How do BIG Lab Research Assistants contribute to faculty projects? Prof. Taryn Dinkelman and Anh Hoang study how free primary education across 54 African countries shaped women’s later labor market outcomes.

Read more about the BIG Lab in action:

📣 Join the BIG Lab this May for a two-day colloquium on debt relief in the Global South. The event will bring together experts for in-depth discussion and engagement with pressing policy challenges.🌍

Register here: buff.ly/uL4qXMp

Weekly links April 3: research ethics, replication, public sector workers, graduation programs as Tang, and more… ·       Nature published several many-authored papers on replication. Brodeur et al. report on the Institute for Replication’s replications and robustness checks of 110 published studies in economics…

🚨 Recent BIG Lab Spotlight on affiliate Rebecca Thornton picked up by World Bank Blog!

🔗 See it here:

The long shadow of British rule: India's colonial legacy Drawing on nearly 250 years of Indian colonial history, new research examines how direct British rule and landlord-based land tenure shaped access to schools, health centres, roads, and agricultural…

⏳️How much does history still matter?
New work on VoxDev from BIG Lab's Lakshmi Iyer explores how British rule left lasting imprints on India’s institutions, from public goods to economic productivity—decades after independence.

🔗 Watch or listen here:

Forthcoming in EJ: ‘The Importance of Being Local? Administrative Decentralisation and Human Development’ by Latika Chaudhary, Lakshmi Iyer doi.org/10.1093/ej/ueaf100
@ndecon.bsky.social @biglabnd.bsky.social @resmedia.bsky.social @academic.oup.com
#EconSky

BIG Faculty Spotlight: Rebecca Thornton on Literacy, Local Partnership, and Mother-Tongue Education Policy Rebecca Thornton discusses her research on child literacy in Uganda, how she got into development economics, and the next research project for her. 

Informative and insightful interview with our new(ish) colleague Rebecca Thornton, from our friends and collaborators in the BIG Lab @biglabnd.bsky.social. Check it out: biglab.nd.edu/news-events/...

Credit card default is driven by job loss, not contract terms Evidence from Mexico shows that job loss and employment instability – rather than high interest rates or minimum payment rules – are more important drivers of credit card default among new borrowers,…

What really drives credit card default?
📊New article in VoxDev from BIG Lab's Enrique Seira shows job loss—not contract terms—is the primary trigger, with employment shocks far outweighing interest rates or minimum payments.

Read more: buff.ly/gCGT8J5

Colloquium on Debt Relief in the Global South Academic policy conference sovereign debt relief forgiveness global south LMIC Notre Dame

What’s next for debt relief in the Global South?
💡Join BIG Lab’s May colloquium for two days of bold ideas + real-world solutions with leading experts. 📩 Register now: buff.ly/alOPFa6

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@gatesfoundation.bsky.social

@artslettersnd.bsky.social
@notredame.bsky.social
#econsky
@ndecon.bsky.social
@keoughglobalnd.bsky.social
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‘@colesonweir.bsky.social‬
@taryndinkelman.bsky.social

Registration is open!

Colloquium on Debt Relief in the Global South Academic policy conference sovereign debt relief forgiveness global south LMIC Notre Dame

📢 🌍 Don’t miss the BIG Lab's Colloquium on Debt Relief in the Global South this May! Be part of two days of forward-thinking discussion and real-world problem-solving with experts in the field.

Register here:

📊 New study from BIG Lab's Saad Gulzar in Comparative Political Studies finds that giving politicians accurate information about citizen preferences does not automatically increase political responsiveness.

🗞️ Read more: buff.ly/NnFAj7e

On the market: BIG Lab's Ge Sun Ge Sun is a BIG Lab doctoral student affiliate on the job market this year. With research interests in labor and macroeconomics, Ge’s paper Expect...

📣 BIG Lab is on the job market! Meet BIG Lab PhD candidate, Ge Sun, who's entering the academic job market and pioneering new research in labor economics. Read more:

BIG Faculty Spotlight: Brenda Samaniego de la Parra on Development Economics, Informality, and Data-Driven Policy in Low-Income Contexts Brenda Samaniego de la Parra discusses her research on entrepreneurial ability in Zambia, how she got into development economics, and the next research ...

🌍 How can research in Zambia inform us on how wages are determined in frictional labor markets?

Our latest BIG Lab Faculty Spotlight features Brenda Samaniego de la Parra on development economics, field research, and local partners.

Read more👉

Jeremy Majerovitz, Eva Dziadula, Taryn Dinkelman, and Joe Kaboski in back row Laurene Lee, Zeina Shalaby and Sagara Johny in front

The BIG Lab has been well represented at the STEG Conference in Nairobi!

Happy New Year from all of us at the BIG Lab! We’re looking forward to an exciting and busy 2026!

Predoctoral Research Associate | BIG Lab Company Description: The University of Notre Dame is more than a workplace! We are a vibrant, mission-driven community where every employee is valued and supported. Rooted in a tradition of…

⌛ Time's running out! Now hiring predoc Research Associates for the BIG Lab

🖥️ Collaborate on development research projects with Notre Dame faculty! Deadline: 12/31/25

☘️ Learn more and apply: buff.ly/xyp1KEy
#econ #predoc

Female Labour Force Participation, Family Planning Policies, and Fertility: Causal Evidence from Mexico I provide new evidence on a central question in the economics of fertility literature: What causes the negative correlation between women’s labour force participation (LFP) and fertility? Using an ...

How do labor markets and family planning policies shape fertility decisions?

BIG Lab affiliate Alejandro Estefan examines how female labor force participation and family planning policies shape fertility outcomes in a new paper, using causal evidence from Mexico.

🔗 buff.ly/KOzJi8p

Wage setting protocols and labor market conditions: Theory and evidence

🌍 #NewPaper in Labour Economics co-authored by BIG Lab affiliated researcher Brenda Samaniego de la Parra examines how labor markets how firms adjust their wage-setting practices in response to labor market conditions.

🔗https://buff.ly/uc7I8Bp

🚨 Don't miss out. Now hiring predoc Research Associates for the BIG Lab!

🖥️ Collaborate on development research projects with Notre Dame faculty! Deadline: 12/31/25

☘️ Learn more and apply: buff.ly/pEUjn07
#econ #predoc

📢 Now hiring predoc Research Associates for the BIG Lab!

🔬Collaborate on development research projects with Notre Dame faculty! Deadline: 12/31/25

✍ Learn more and apply: buff.ly/BjAcByg
#econ #predoc

From the BIG Lab's Heitor Pellegrina 👇👇

BIG Forum Pete Klenow First major academic conference of the Building Inclusive Growth (BIG) Lab.

Missed the BIG Forum? Be sure to check out Pete Klenow's Keynote on his research on misallocation and inequality below or on the BIG Lab's site! 🌍

📹 buff.ly/4YqEnEP

BIG Forum Ted Miguel First major academic conference of the Building Inclusive Growth (BIG) Lab.

Missed the BIG Forum? Be sure to check out Ted Miguel's Keynote on his research on cash transfers in Kenya below or on the BIG Lab's site! 🌍

🎞️ buff.ly/m8cgFnK

Contract Terms, Employment Shocks, and Default in Credit Cards Abstract. Regulatory concerns over a tension between expanding financial access and limiting default have led to significant restrictions on contract terms

How much do credit card terms really affect default? 📉

Turns out, losing your job matters 7x more than a 30-point interest rate cut. BIG Lab's Enrique Seira has a new publication out in REStud examining the powerful role of employment shocks in consumer credit risk.
🔗

"BIG Forum"- 9/25/25 4:45pm Fireside Chat First major academic conference of the Building Inclusive Growth (BIG) Lab.

Missed the BIG Forum? Be sure to check out the Fireside chat with Dean Karlan and Lakshmi Iyer recording linked below or on the BIG Lab's site!

🔗 buff.ly/4ecKs9i

Call for Papers: 23rd Midwest International Economic Development Conference. April 24-25, 2026. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Details: mwiedc.org Submit: editorialexpress.com/conference/m... #EconSky