Does Spraying for Mosquitos Discourage Use of Nets? A Surprise Result from an RCT in Eritrea

Featuring
Pedro Carneiro
Professor, Department of Economics
University College London

With Discussant
Sonali Korde
Senior Technical Advisor, Malaria
USAID Bureau for Global Health

Does indoor residual spraying (IRS) for mosquitos discourage the use of bed nets, as some critics have alleged? A new paper from Pedro Carneiro and others using data from a randomized control trial in Eritrea finds the opposite: IRS actually encouraged net acquisition and use. Carneiro will present the findings and discuss the implications for the wider debate about under what conditions public health interventions crowd out private health investments.

**The Massachusetts Ave. Development Seminar (MADS) is a ten year-old research seminar series that brings some of the worlds leading development scholars to discuss their new research and ideas. The presentations meet an academic standard of quality and are at times technical, but retain a focus on a mixed audience of researchers and policymakers.*