logo
episode-header-image
Jun 16
1h 20m

318 | Edward Miguel on the Developing Pr...

SEAN CARROLL | WONDERY
About this episode

Economics is seeing an upsurge in the importance of controlled, reproducible empirical studies. One area where this has had a great impact is on development economics, which studies the economies of low- and middle-income societies. Edward Miguel has been at the forefront of both the revolution in empirical methods, and in applying those techniques to alleviating poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/06/16/318-edward-miguel-on-the-developing-practice-of-development-economics/

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Edward Miguel received his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard university. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Economics and Oxfam Professor in Environmental and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also Faculty co-Director of the Center for Effective Global Action and a Faculty Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Among his awards are the Frisch Medal of the Econometric Society, the Kenneth Arrow Prize of the International Health Economics Association, and multiple teaching awards.


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 7
AMA | July 2025
Welcome to the July 2025 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether ... Show More
4h 3m
Jun 30
320 | Solo: Complexity and the Universe
Our universe started out looking very simple: hot, dense, smooth, rapidly expanding. According to our best current model, it will end up looking simple once again: cold, dark, empty. It's in between -- now, roughly speaking -- that things look complex. I have been working to unde ... Show More
2h 14m
Jun 23
319 | Bryan Van Norden on Philosophy From the Rest of the World
It is common to refer to philosophy as "a series of footnotes to Plato." But in the original quote, Alfred North Whitehead was more careful: he limited his characterization to "the European philosophical tradition." There are other traditions, both ancient and ongoing: Chinese ph ... Show More
1h 12m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Ep422 - Edward 'Ted' Miguel | Open Science: Assessing How to Do Good Better
Global development leader, professor and author Edward ‘Ted’ Miguel visits Google to discuss how open science is transforming poverty reduction and global development. What really works in the fight to empower the world's poorest people? What's the science behind traditional deve ... Show More
43m 52s
Oct 2023
Monetary economics, the Taylor Rule, fiscal policy, and economic growth
John Taylor, the Mary and Robert Raymond Professor of Economics at Stanford University and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins the podcast to discuss how he initial got interested in economics, his initial training in econometrics as a PhD student at Stanford which led ... Show More
32m 42s
May 9
Richard Thaler | Nudge
We make a countless number of decisions every day – but unfortunately, we often choose unwisely. Behavioral economist Richard Thaler has dedicated his life’s work to understanding why that is. In 2017, Thaler received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contribu ... Show More
54m 26s
Sep 2024
Daron Acemoglu on Artificial Intelligence
Listening to the ongoing debate about artificial intelligence, one could be forgiven for assuming that the technology is either a bogeyman or a savior, with little ground in between. But that’s not the stance of economist Daron Acemoglu, professor at the Massachusetts Institute o ... Show More
27m 33s
Nov 2024
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics: Explained
Sign up for a 14-day free trial and enjoy all the amazing features MyHeritage has to offer: https://bit.ly/EconomicsExplained_mhWhy do some nations flourish while others remain trapped in poverty? This year’s Nobel Prize in Economics goes to three economists whose groundbreaking ... Show More
16m 52s
Aug 2024
475. Threat From South America | Axel Kaiser
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with author and president of the Foundation for Progress in Chile, Axel Kaiser. They discuss the state of Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, the opposition leader María Corina Machado, 21st-century socialism, the rise of the cartels, and how the etho ... Show More
1h 33m
Oct 2024
Acemoglu on Automation: The Nobel Laureate Vs. the Robots (with Daron Acemoglu)
Since Daron Acemoglu just won the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences alongside MIT Sloan professor Simon Johnson and University of Chicago professor James Robinson, we’re revisiting  this powerful episode featuring Acemoglu’s insights from 2023. In his groundbreaking ... Show More
53m 54s
Jun 2024
Stephen Marr and Patience Mususa, "DIY Urbanism in Africa: Politics and Practice" (Zed Books, 2023)
Protracted economic crises, accelerating inequalities, and increased resource scarcity present significant challenges for the majority of Africa's urban population. Limited state capacity and widespread infrastructure deficiencies common in cities across the continent often requi ... Show More
49m 13s
Jan 2024
Matthew O. Jackson, "The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs, and Behaviors" (Vintage, 2019)
Social networks existed and shaped our lives long before Silicon Valley startups made them virtual. For over two decades economist Matthew O. Jackson, a professor at Stanford University, has studied how the shape of networks and our positions within them can affect us. In this in ... Show More
1h 6m