In case you missed them, here are the most popular blog posts from 2015, as determined by our readers.
The Top Five
1
Labor Mobility and Migration: The Missing Heart of the Sustainable Development Goals
Lant Pritchett finds the draft language of the Sustainable Development Goals lacking when it comes to ending labor discrimination on the basis of national origin.
2
The Final Word on Microcredit?
Justin Sandefur reviews six randomized controlled trials published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics that were unable to show any statistically significant increase in income for households with access to microcredit. He nonetheless warns against throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
3
Mapping the Worm Wars: What the Public Should Take Away from the Scientific Debate about Mass Deworming
In July, several media outlets reported that a canonical study supporting across-the-board deworming of children in developing countries had been debunked. Michael Clemens and Justin Sandefur entered the fray between the original researchers defending their study and journalists looking for a story. The result, according to one commenter, “deserves an award for clear science communication.”
4
Washington’s Wave of Anti-Refugee Hysteria Is Missing Something: Facts
Michael Clemens injects a dose of facts to counter caustic anti-refugee rhetoric. Here’s one: decades of studies have found no connection between immigration and violence, or crime in general.
5
US Holiday Lights Use More Electricity than El Salvador Does In a Year
Worthy perhaps of extra recognition for having only 14 days to get into the top five of 2015, this post by Todd Moss and Priscilla Agyapong was a year-end favorite. The title says it all.
Honorable Mention
The Can and Can’t of Cat Bonds
Theodore Talbot and Owen Barder explain how catastrophe bonds could help provide much-needed cash when the next health or natural disaster strikes. Cat bonds work like regular bonds, with the twist that if the catastrophe happens, investors forfeit their cash to the insured party, who can spend it right away.
This post actually garnered the most pageviews of the year, but some readers may have been disappointed. Not really about cats.
Want More?
Don’t miss a single post of 2016. Sign up for our weekly newsletter below.
Disclaimer
CGD blog posts reflect the views of the authors, drawing on prior research and experience in their areas of expertise. CGD is a nonpartisan, independent organization and does not take institutional positions.
