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I held a Final Exam by Twitter! How did the students do? A thread of threads…
First, the class context. My undergrad impact evaluation class requires intro econ and intro prob stats, but no econometrics. I (try) to teach them everything they need to know to read journal articles, including a couple published in Econometrica.
This year, their final exam was to summarize two articles in Twitter threads, one of their choice and one of mine. How did it go? Wanna see for yourself? (ehem, can undergrads really read Ecma articles??)
Before we get started, let’s review how Sub-Saharan Africa came to be so poor. Geography, soil quality, disease, luck… all those things matter.
But slavery! Can’t leave out slavery. @nnunn99 and Puga, reviewed by @eliannaclayton, show that places protected by rugged geography were less affected by slavery and are richer today because of it.
[Aside: Want your undergrads to WANT to learn GIS? Assign the Nunn and Puga paper. @eliannaclayton made that last map herself! And she’s only a sophomore!]
The historical influences don't end with slavery. Let’s not forget the legacy of colonial institutions, say @DrDaronAcemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson, reviewed by @jpcc1444.
How specifically do colonial institutions influence economies today? In part through the education system. My favorite part of Glewwe, Kremer, and Moulin is the quick lesson on the political economic history of Kenya.
But let’s focus on solutions. What’s the best way to improve education (in Sub-Saharan Africa)?
Should we invest in textbooks? Glewwe, Kremer, and Moulin, reviewed by @hannah_bollen, say no it’s not that easy…
Maybe we should we make secondary school available to more people? @OwenOzier thinks that’s a good idea…
@J_BushJoseph reviews with effective use of GIFs ()
while @MagdelineVlas additionally reminds us “what’s an RDD again? ()
@J_BushJoseph reviews with effective use of GIFs ()
while @MagdelineVlas additionally reminds us “what’s an RDD again? ()
Or maybe the reason why kids have a hard time learning is because they’re sick all the time. @tedmiguel and Kremer, reviewed by @NelEMac, suggests that improving health improves education too. (Eww, where did he find that first picture??)
Now that kids have education (done and done!), how do we help them get jobs?
Should we give small cash transfers that facilitate migration to cities? Bryan, Chowdhury, and @mushfiqmobarak, reviewed by @eliannaclayton, shout YES and worked with @EvidenceAction to start #NoLeanSeason and make it happen.
Maybe we should give people microfinance loans to start new businesses? Banerjee, @deankarlan, and Zinman, reviewed by @e_roman46, find that microcredit is no silver bullet. Oops.
Furthermore, women may have a harder time starting new businesses than men because their relatives tax their earnings. So say @PJakiela and @OwenOzier, reviewed by @e_roman46. Well then.
[Note: @e_roman46 is applying for @poverty_action summer internships. Just saying.]
What if the government guaranteed jobs, like India does with NREGA? That’s a nice idea, but it comes at a cost: @econgaurav and Zimmerman, reviewed by @s_jurgenson, show that government v. Maoist violence increased, at least in the short-run.
And aren’t big government programs often rife with corruption. Yes, but top-down audits can help a lot, more so than grassroots monitoring anyway. So says Olken, reviewed by @jpcc1444 and…
Maybe what we really need is a BIG PUSH.
(Crap, what if @JeffDSachs and Angelina were right all along? Shoot!)
As reviewed by @risal_urja, Banerjee, Duflo, Goldberg, @deankarlan, Osei, Pariente (geez there are a lot of authors…), …
(Crap, what if @JeffDSachs and Angelina were right all along? Shoot!)
As reviewed by @risal_urja, Banerjee, Duflo, Goldberg, @deankarlan, Osei, Pariente (geez there are a lot of authors…), …
… Shapiro, Thuysbaert, and Udry (phew!) say that ultra-poor graduation programs work pretty well.
HEY all of these ideas sound really complicated. Can’t we just give people money? YES, say @jhaushofer and Shapiro about the @Give_Directly program.
@s_jurgenson ( https ) and @MagdelineVlas () review.
@s_jurgenson ( https ) and @MagdelineVlas () review.
@jhaushofer @Give_Directly @s_jurgenson @MagdelineVlas Wait just one minute. Don’t poor people waste their money on cigarettes or “booze or women or movies”? (Thanks for the timely reminder, @senorrinhatch.)
NO, poor people do not waste money on cigarettes and alcohol, at least no more than anybody else does. So say @tukopamoja and @annapopovas, reviewed by @hannah_bollen.
(Don’t know about the “women and movies” bit. Further research required).
(Don’t know about the “women and movies” bit. Further research required).
And that’s the Twitter Exam Thread of Threads!
Pedagogical reflections from this professor tomorrow…
Pedagogical reflections from this professor tomorrow…
