September 2020

2020 PEP Policy Conference
October 16, 2020 | 12 p.m. UTC | Register

Development researchers, practitioners, leading experts, and policy stakeholders from around the world will discuss the "Coproduction of development research: Experience from PEP-supported projects".

This year's PEP Policy Conference will take place online and is open to all (registration required). It is presented as part of the 2020 PEP Annual Conference.

Register

PEP Online Training Program 2021
Applied Development Economics

PEP is offering four online distance-learning courses in Applied Development Economics from January to April 2021.

Courses in Policy Impact Analysis, Computable General Equilibrium Modelling, Measuring and Alleviating Poverty and Inequality, and NEW this year: Gender Analysis in Economic Policy Research.

Application deadline: October 10, 2020

Find out more

PEP researchers in Mongolia highlight how free childcare can improve mothers’ employment

Following the easing of Mongolia's pandemic response restrictions, a team of local PEP researchers held a national policy conference to share and discuss their findings and policy recommendations.                          
                                                             Read more

PEP reading and training material updated and easier to consult

PEP has updated its lists of training material and recommended readings as part of its efforts to provide developing country researchers and members of the global economic development community with access to the most relevant research tools.                                                                Read more

Promoting mobile money through training and text-messages in Malawi

The financial inclusion rate in Malawi is low. Over the past five years, the Government of Malawi has introduced policies to encourage financial inclusion. These policies aim to expand the reach of digital payments (including via mobile money), increase savings through savings groups such as Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), and improve financial literacy. A team of local PEP researchers designed and conducted an experiment to understand how to improve the knowledge and use of mobile money among VSLA members. They found that VSLA members who receive financial literacy training reinforced by text message reminders are more likely to report that they use mobile money and have access to formal financial services (compared to those who do not receive the training and text messages).

Find out more in the PEP working paper 2020-10 and policy brief 228

Free childcare program improves mothers' employment outcomes in Mongolia

Women’s labor force participation (LFP) in Mongolia is declining, especially in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar where almost half the country’s population resides. Childbearing and childcare are major barriers to women’s employment. In recent years, the Government of Mongolia has rapidly extended public childcare programs and childcare subsidies to boost mothers’ labor force participation while preparing the children for school. A team of local PEP researchers conducted an experiment to evaluate the impact of the government’s Pre-School Education Program (PSEP) on women’s participation in the labor market. They found that offering free public childcare increases the hourly wages and employment rate of parents, especially mothers, in the short term.

Find out more in the PEP policy brief 227