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Joshua Evan Blumenstock

University of California, Berkeley

Ph.D. Candidate

102 South Hall

Berkeley, CA 94720-4600

United States

http://www.jblumenstock.com

  • University of California, Berkeley

SCHOLARLY PAPERS

17

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2,139

TOTAL CITATIONS
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Top 11,315

in Total Papers Citations

100

Scholarly Papers (17)

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1.

The Impact of Digital Credit in Developing Economies: A Review of Recent Evidence

KDI School of Pub Policy & Management Paper No. 23-04
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 14 Aug 2023
Jonathan Robinson, David Sungho Park and Joshua Evan Blumenstock
University of California, Santa Cruz, KDI School of Public Policy and Management and University of California, Berkeley
Downloads 702 (92,574)
Citation 9

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2.

Measuring Religion from Behavior: Climate Shocks and Religious Adherence in Afghanistan

Downloads 327 (179,037)

Measuring Religion from Behavior: Climate Shocks and Religious Adherence in Afghanistan

Number of pages: 66 Posted: 16 Jun 2022
Oeindrila Dube, Joshua Evan Blumenstock and Michael Callen
University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley and London School of Economics
Downloads 172 (436,722)

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Religion, Mobile Phones, Big Data, Climate, Economic Shocks

Measuring Religion from Behavior: Climate Shocks and Religious Adherence in Afghanistan

University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2022-155
Number of pages: 74 Posted: 21 Nov 2022
Oeindrila Dube, Joshua Evan Blumenstock and Michael Callen
University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley and London School of Economics
Downloads 116 (629,668)

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Religion, Mobile Phones, Big Data, Climate, Economic Shocks

Measuring Religion from Behavior: Climate Shocks and Religious Adherence in Afghanistan

NBER Working Paper No. w30694
Number of pages: 74 Posted: 29 Nov 2022 Last Revised: 14 Apr 2023
Oeindrila Dube, Joshua Evan Blumenstock and Michael Callen
University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley and London School of Economics
Downloads 39 (1,238,337)

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3.

Machine Learning and Mobile Phone Data Can Improve the Targeting of Humanitarian Assistance

Downloads 222 (348,255)
Citation 11

Machine Learning and Mobile Phone Data Can Improve the Targeting of Humanitarian Assistance

Global Poverty Research Lab Working Paper No. 21-109
Number of pages: 58 Posted: 22 Jul 2021
Emily Aiken, Suzanne Bellue, Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry and Joshua Evan Blumenstock
University of California, Berkeley, CREST-ENSAE, Northwestern University, Northwestern University and University of California, Berkeley
Downloads 147 (512,207)

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machine learning, big data, targeting, social assistance

Machine Learning and Mobile Phone Data Can Improve the Targeting of Humanitarian Assistance

NBER Working Paper No. w29070
Number of pages: 91 Posted: 26 Jul 2021 Last Revised: 07 Jun 2023
Emily Aiken, Suzanne Bellue, Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry and Joshua Evan Blumenstock
University of California, Berkeley, CREST-ENSAE, Northwestern University, Northwestern University and University of California, Berkeley
Downloads 73 (871,518)
Citation 6

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Machine Learning and Mobile Phone Data Can Improve the Targeting of Humanitarian Assistance

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP16385
Number of pages: 61 Posted: 22 Sep 2021
Emily Aiken, Suzanne Bellue, Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Dean S. Karlan, Dean S. Karlan and Christopher Udry
University of California, Berkeley, CREST-ENSAE, University of California, Berkeley, Yale UniversityNorthwestern University - Kellogg School of Management and Northwestern University
Downloads 2 (1,657,086)
Citation 5
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Machine Learning, mobile phone data, poverty, targeting

4.

Risk and Reciprocity Over the Mobile Phone Network: Evidence from Rwanda

NET Institute Working Paper No. 11-25
Number of pages: 37 Posted: 24 Nov 2011
Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Marcel Fafchamps and Nathan Eagle
University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University - Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Santa Fe Institute
Downloads 217 (353,017)
Citation 15

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Risk Sharing, Mobile Phones, Mobile Money, Information and communications technologies, Development, Earthquakes, Rwanda, Africa

5.

Instant Loans Can Lift Subjective Well-Being: A Randomized Evaluation of Digital Credit in Nigeria

Number of pages: 68 Posted: 11 Mar 2023
Daniel Björkegren, Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Suraj Nair, Jacqueline Mauro and Omowunmi Folajimi-Senjobi
Brown University - Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, affiliation not provided to SSRN, affiliation not provided to SSRN and University of Ibadan
Downloads 195 (399,431)

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Digital credit, digital loan, Subjective well-being, mobile money, Nigeria

6.

Estimating Impact with Surveys versus Digital Traces: Evidence from Randomized Cash Transfers in Togo

Number of pages: 55 Posted: 05 Oct 2023 Last Revised: 25 Oct 2023
Emily Aiken, Suzanne Bellue, Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Dean Karlan and Christopher Udry
University of California, Berkeley, CREST-ENSAE, University of California, Berkeley, Northwestern University and Northwestern University
Downloads 109 (664,543)

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Cash Transfer Program, Poverty, Mental Health, Randomized Control Trial, Machine Learning, Cross Sectional Analysis

7.

Strengthening Fragile States: Evidence from Mobile Salary Payments in Afghanistan

CESifo Working Paper No. 10510
Number of pages: 69 Posted: 14 Jun 2023
Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Michael Callen, Anastasiia Faikina, Stefano Fiorin and Tarek Ghani
University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics, Analysis Group, Bocconi University and Washington University in St. Louis - John M. Olin Business School
Downloads 73 (867,774)
Citation 1

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mobile money, state-building, corruption

8.

Migration and the Value of Social Networks

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP13611
Number of pages: 95 Posted: 27 Mar 2019
Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Guanghua Chi and Xu Tan
University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley and University of Washington
Downloads 64 (924,743)
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Big Data, Development, migration, networks, social capital, Social Networks

9.

Public Mobility Data Enables COVID-19 Forecasting and Management at Local and Global Scales

NBER Working Paper No. w28120
Number of pages: 38 Posted: 23 Nov 2020 Last Revised: 03 May 2026
Cornelia Ilin, Sébastien Annan-Phan, Xiao Hui Tai, Shikhar Mehra, Solomon Hsiang and Joshua Evan Blumenstock
affiliation not provided to SSRN, University of California, Berkeley - Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley, affiliation not provided to SSRN, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Berkeley
Downloads 61 (951,658)
Citation 7

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10.

Why Do Defaults Affect Behavior? Experimental Evidence from Afghanistan

Downloads 43 (1,170,409)
Citation 55

Why Do Defaults Affect Behavior? Experimental Evidence from Afghanistan

NBER Working Paper No. w23590
Number of pages: 95 Posted: 17 Jul 2017 Last Revised: 17 Jun 2023
Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Michael Joseph Callen and Tarek Ghani
University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles and Washington University in St. Louis - John M. Olin Business School
Downloads 39 (1,238,337)
Citation 38

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Why Do Defaults Affect Behavior? Experimental Evidence from Afghanistan

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP12142
Number of pages: 102 Posted: 18 Jul 2017
Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Michael Joseph Callen and Tarek Ghani
University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles and Washington University in St. Louis - John M. Olin Business School
Downloads 4 (1,651,368)
Citation 17
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Behavioral Models, Defaults savings, Digital Finance, Mobile Money, peer effects

11.

Scalable Targeting of Social Protection: When Do Algorithms Out-Perform Surveys and Community Knowledge?

CESifo Working Paper No. 11928
Number of pages: 90 Posted: 12 Jun 2025
Emily Aiken, Anik Ashraf, Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Raymond Guiteras, Raymond Guiteras and Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak
Independent, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), University of California, Berkeley, University of Maryland, College ParkNorth Carolina State University and Yale School of Management
Downloads 40 (1,209,354)

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12.

Estimating Impact with Surveys versus Digital Traces: Evidence from Randomized Cash Transfers in Togo

NBER Working Paper No. w31751
Number of pages: 56 Posted: 10 Oct 2023 Last Revised: 16 Oct 2024
Emily Aiken, Suzanne Bellue, Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Dean Karlan and Christopher Udry
University of California, Berkeley, CREST-ENSAE, University of California, Berkeley, Northwestern University and Northwestern University
Downloads 35 (1,249,711)
Citation 2

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13.

Mobile-Izing Savings with Automatic Contributions: Experimental Evidence on Present Bias and Default Effects in Afghanistan

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP11400
Number of pages: 77 Posted: 25 Jul 2016
Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Michael Callen and Tarek Ghani
University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and University of California, Berkeley
Downloads 18 (1,470,786)
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14.

Scalable Targeting of Social Protection: When Do Algorithms Out-Perform Surveys and Community Knowledge?

NBER Working Paper No. w33919
Number of pages: 89 Posted: 17 Jun 2025 Last Revised: 04 Jul 2025
Emily Aiken, Anik Ashraf, Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Raymond Guiteras, Raymond Guiteras and Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak
Carnegie Mellon University, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), University of California, Berkeley, University of Maryland, College ParkNorth Carolina State University and Yale School of Management
Downloads 17 (1,481,165)
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15.

What Would it Cost to End Extreme Poverty?

NBER Working Paper No. w34583
Number of pages: 78 Posted: 22 Dec 2025
Roshni Sahoo, Joshua Evan Blumenstock, Paul Niehaus, Leo Selker and Stefan Wager
Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University - Department of Statistics
Downloads 8 (1,555,090)
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16.

How Important is the Yellow Pages? Experimental Evidence from Tanzania

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP14489
Number of pages: 63 Posted: 25 Mar 2020
Jenny C Aker, Joshua Evan Blumenstock and Brian Dillon
Tufts University, University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University
Downloads 5 (1,571,455)
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agriculture, mobile phones, Search costs, Small and medium enterprises, Tanzania, telephone directories

17.

(Machine) Learning What Policies Value

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP17364
Number of pages: 49 Posted: 23 Jun 2022
Daniel Bjorkegren, Joshua Evan Blumenstock and Samsun Knight
Brown University, University of California, Berkeley and University of Toronto
Downloads 3 (1,579,934)
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Heterogeneous Treatment Effects, targeting, Welfare