Fall 2023 Development Economics Challenge Scoping Projects

Shreya Chandra – University of California, Berkeley – $6,576 – Firm Size and Preferences for Workplace Amenities

This project explores why small firms in developing countries persist despite being less productive than large firms, proposing that flexibility in workplace arrangements gives them a labor market advantage. Surveying over 200 workers and firm owners in Tiruppur, India’s garment sector, the study finds that small firms offer significantly more flexible hours and leave policies, attracting older, married, and female workers with greater caregiving responsibilities. Larger firms, by contrast, provide more formal benefits but impose stricter schedules and oversight. These early findings suggest that worker preferences for flexibility may help explain the enduring dominance of small enterprises in developing economies.

Sam Wang – University of California, Berkeley – $3,680 – Price Seasonality and Consumption Smoothing

This project investigates how high inflation and fairness perceptions shape pricing decisions and customer demand among small firms in Lagos, Nigeria. In an environment of 30% annual inflation, the study tested whether allowing entrepreneurs to credibly justify price increases as responses to rising input costs could mitigate consumer backlash. Results from a pilot with 158 microenterprises suggest that transparent cost communication increases customer sympathy but has mixed effects on sales due to limited statistical power.

Rajdev Brar – University of California, Berkeley – $3,600 – Promoting safe application of agricultural chemicals to enhance farmer welfare

This project investigates how farmers in Punjab, India, balance productivity gains from chemical pesticide use with the health risks of unsafe application practices. Through interviews with 33 farmers and 15 agricultural experts, the study finds widespread awareness of health risks, over 80% of farmers reported symptoms of exposure, yet limited use of protective equipment due to weak regulation, entrenched norms, and lack of enforcement. Despite this, most farmers expressed positive views toward safe-use practices, suggesting room for behavioral change. Building on these findings, future work will use secondary data to explore how landlord-labor dynamics and policy incentives might improve safety and health outcomes in agricultural communities.

Karthik Tadepalli – University of California, Berkeley – $2,500 – Skill Bias and Appropriate Technology in the Global South

This project examined whether technologies developed in high-income countries effectively translate to productivity gains in developing economies. Using patent data from the European Patent Office, the study sought to measure cross-country knowledge spillovers and test the “inappropriate technology” hypothesis, which posits that technologies designed for advanced contexts may not fit lower-income settings. While empirical challenges ultimately prevented full implementation, the project developed a novel framework for quantifying international knowledge diffusion. Future work will apply this approach to specific sectors where technology transfer is directly observable, such as agriculture or manufacturing.

Johanna Reyes – University of California, Berkeley – $5,000 – Gender-Based Violence and Access to Justice

This project evaluates whether specialized sexual violence clinics in Guatemala improve justice and health outcomes for survivors of gender-based violence. Using original administrative data from 340 municipalities and interviews with health, legal, and civil society actors, the study measures how the establishment of these clinics affects reporting and prosecution of sexual violence. Preliminary results suggest that health-based, “one-stop” models can play a critical role in lowering barriers to justice for women and girls.

Javier Feinmann – University of California, Berkeley – $5,000 – How Education Shapes Entrepreneurship

Alyssa Heinze – University of California, Berkeley – $5,000 – Land rights and women’s resilience to climate shocks

This project investigates how gender-equitable land and resource governance can strengthen women’s resilience to climate shocks in India. Initially focused on a 2021 land reform in Uttarakhand granting women joint property titles, the study found low uptake, highlighting the limits of formal legal change when social norms remain strong. Pivoting to Maharashtra, the project examines whether women’s participation in local water governance institutions enhances their capacity to adapt to droughts. Early insights reveal that land ownership is often a prerequisite for inclusion in these institutions.

Abdulrazzak Tamim – University of California, Berkeley – $2,850 – Quality Upgrading in Agricultural Markets

This project explores whether poor fertilizer quality contributes to low adoption of agricultural technologies among smallholder farmers in Tanzania. Collecting fertilizer samples from 30 agricultural shops and survey data from 100 farmers in Mbeya, the study finds that fertilizer quality is generally high, contrary to widespread perceptions of adulteration. However, farmers’ beliefs about low quality persist, even as sellers report confidence in their products. These findings suggest that misaligned perceptions, rather than actual input quality, may be a key barrier to productivity-enhancing investments in smallholder agriculture.