In sub-Saharan Africa, despite the adoption of Christianity, traditional religious beliefs remain widely held. We examine the social consequences of holding traditional religious beliefs among urban and rural populations in central Africa. Using a variety of lab-in-the-field experiments that randomize partner characteristics, we test whether individuals who believe in traditional religion are treated or viewed […]
BREAD Working Paper No. 627, December 2023
Long-run Impacts of Forced Labor Migration on Fertility Behaviors: Evidence from Colonial West Africa Pascaline Dupas, Camille Falezan, Marie Christelle Mabeu, and Pauline Rossi Abstract Is the persistently high fertility in West Africa today rooted in the decades of forced labor migration under colonial rule? We study the case of Burkina Faso, considered the […]
BREAD Working Paper No. 589, June 2021
The Falling Price of Cement in Africa Fabrizio Leone, Rocco Macchiavello, and Tristan Reed Abstract The average price of cement in Africa was the highest of any continent in 2011, but by 2017 had fallen by 35 percent, the largest decline in the world, according to data from the International Comparison Program. An empirical industry […]
BREAD Working Paper No. 520, July 2017
First and Second Generation Impacts of the Biafran War Richard Akresh, Sonia Bhalotra, Marinella Leone, Una Osili Abstract We analyze long-term impacts of the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War, providing the first evidence of intergenerational impacts. Women exposed to the war in their grow- ing years exhibit reduced adult stature, increased likelihood of being overweight, earlier […]
BREAD Working Paper No. 523, September 2017
Planning Ahead for Better Neighborhoods: Long Run Evidence from Tanzania Guy Michaels, Dzhamilya Nigmatulina, Ferdinand Rauch, Tanner Regan, Neeraj Baruah, Amanda Dahlstrand-Rudin Abstract What are the long run consequences of planning and providing basic infrastructure in neigh- borhoods, where people build their own homes? We study “Sites and Services” projects imple- mented in seven Tanzanian […]