TechSangam

Good economics for hard times

Vishy KurugantiNovember 30, 20235 mins

Back in 2011, I took my longest ever career sabbatical (15+ months) which would eventually lead me to “start up” for the second time. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Poverty…

Boiling the poor frogs

Vishy KurugantiOctober 02, 20203 mins

In the recently concluded first American Presidential debate, the stark economic policy difference between the two candidates was best illustated by their responses to “how exactly is the American…

We've got cash – you've got mail

Vishy KurugantiDecember 29, 20194 mins

That’s the tag line for GiveDirectly, a 10-year old US-based non-profit making waves in 9 African countries. “Cash” for unconditional cash transfers and “you’ve got mail” for the m-Pesa notification…

Unconditional transfers approaching primetime

Vishy KurugantiDecember 05, 20192 mins

Since I first read about unconditional transfers (in Banerjee and Duflo’s Poverty Economics book), I’ve been fascinated about this seemingly this-cant-possibly-work approach to foreign aid. Later I…

Bill and Melinda Gates debunk three myths

Vishy KurugantiJanuary 24, 20144 mins

The 2014 Gates Annual Letter is out. You should read the entire letter. But since my exhortation may not be sufficient, I’ll present a few teasers from the three myths. Myth #1: Poor countries are…

Understanding moral hazards, moral imperatives and informal insurance

Vishy KurugantiMay 31, 20123 mins

I recently re-read Chapter 6 of Poor Economics (Barefoot Hedge-Fund Managers) because I was looking for a savings intervention RCT. I haven’t found that RCT yet but a related story — about how the…

Hunger Alleviation Lessons from Belo Horizonte

Vishy KurugantiApril 12, 20123 mins

[Editor’s Note: (Sep 12, 2012): According to this Newslaundry editorial, Samar Halamkar (on whose column I based this post) might have indulged in plagiarism. Until I figure out what action I need to…

RSBY: a government initiative that (Gasp!) seems to work

Vishy KurugantiFebruary 22, 20124 mins

[Editor’s Note: RSBY expands to Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (Hindi for “National Health Insurance Policy”). The brainchild of IAS officer and Director General of Ministry of Labour and Employment…

Key nuggets from Bill Gates' Annual Letter 2012 – Global Health

Vishy KurugantiFebruary 09, 20122 mins

This is Part 2 of TechSangam’s review of the 2012 Annual Letter from Bill Gates. The Gates letter covers 4 broad areas – Innovation in Agriculture, Global Health, US Education, and Foundation Updates…

Key nuggets from Bill Gates' Annual Letter 2012 – Innovation in Agriculture

Vishy KurugantiFebruary 08, 20123 mins

If you have time, you really should read the complete text of the 2012 Annual Letter from Bill Gates. But I know you live in a multi-screen world with thousands of tweets, status updates, and vids…

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