Ideas to action: independent research for global prosperity
Mobile Phones
More from the Series
Blog Post
October 28, 2016
These recent developments in identification, combined with rising mobile phone ownership, broadening Internet access, and innovative payment delivery mechanisms, can be harnessed to transform the way states implement poverty-reduction programs and improve the lives of their citizens. Digital payment...
WORKING PAPERS
July 13, 2016
As mobile phone surveys are gaining popularity among researchers and practitioners in international development, one primary challenge is improving survey response and completion rates. A common solution is to provide monetary compensation to respondents. This paper reports on our experience with us...
WORKING PAPERS
October 16, 2015
Using an experimental design, we assess the feasibility of interactive voice recognition (IVR) surveys for gauging citizens’ development priorities. Our project focuses on four low-income countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe). We find that mobile phone-based approach...
Blog Post
October 14, 2015
With growth, development and financial inclusion high on the agenda at the recent World Bank/IMF meetings in Lima, Peru, this week's podcast looks back at an innovation that helped bring millions of people in Kenya into the financial system. Economist and former governor of the Central Bank of K...
POLICY PAPERS
June 16, 2015
The development of mobile payment platforms in developing countries is revolutionizing access to finance for the poor. Mobile payment platforms allow their users to pay and transfer funds in mobile money but also offer access to other financial products, such as savings or insurance.
WORKING PAPERS
May 21, 2015
In rural areas of developing countries, education programs are often implemented through community teachers. While teachers are a crucial part of the education production function, observing their effort remains a challenge for the public sector. This paper tests whether a simple monitoring system, ...