Benjamin A. Olken

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics

50 Memorial Drive

E52-391

Cambridge, MA 02142

United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

United States

Harvard University - Society of Fellows

Cambridge, MA 02138

United States

SCHOLARLY PAPERS

40

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7,120

SSRN CITATIONS
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Top 845

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602

CROSSREF CITATIONS

1,216

Scholarly Papers (40)

1.

Do Leaders Matter? National Leadership and Growth Since World War Ii

Number of pages: 57 Posted: 13 Apr 2004
Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 2,607 (10,514)
Citation 136

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leaders, leadership, growth

2.

Debunking the Stereotype of the Lazy Welfare Recipient: Evidence from Cash Transfer Programs Worldwide

HKS Working Paper No. 076
Number of pages: 27 Posted: 15 Dec 2015
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics, Students and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 1,214 (34,069)
Citation 55

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Microfinance, Cash Transfers, Welfare, Poverty, Inequality, Development, Developing World

Monitoring Corruption: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w11753
Number of pages: 49 Posted: 03 Feb 2006 Last Revised: 14 Aug 2022
Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 197 (295,736)
Citation 167

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Monitoring Corruption: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia

Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 115, April 2007
Posted: 23 Apr 2007
Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics

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4.
Downloads 191 (305,046)

Corruption in Developing Countries

NBER Working Paper No. w17398
Number of pages: 49 Posted: 21 Sep 2011 Last Revised: 15 Jan 2023
Benjamin A. Olken and Rohini Pande
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and Yale University - Economic Growth Center
Downloads 191 (304,399)
Citation 30

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Corruption in Developing Countries

Annual Review of Economics, Vol. 4, pp. 479-509, 2012
Posted: 01 Sep 2012
Benjamin A. Olken and Rohini Pande
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and Yale University - Economic Growth Center

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Does Elite Capture Matter? Local Elites and Targeted Welfare Programs in Indonesia

HKS Working Paper No. RWP13-008
Number of pages: 64 Posted: 16 Sep 2013 Last Revised: 17 Sep 2013
World Bank - Jakarta, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, World Bank and World Bank
Downloads 108 (486,728)
Citation 5

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Does Elite Capture Matter? Local Elites and Targeted Welfare Programs in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w18798
Number of pages: 43 Posted: 16 Feb 2013 Last Revised: 14 May 2023
World Bank - Jakarta, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, World Bank and World Bank
Downloads 78 (603,522)
Citation 11

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6.

What Do We Learn from the Weather? The New Climate-Economy Literature

NBER Working Paper No. w19578
Number of pages: 70 Posted: 25 Oct 2013 Last Revised: 01 Jul 2023
Melissa Dell, Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 167 (343,641)
Citation 285

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Universal Basic Incomes vs. Targeted Transfers: Anti-Poverty Programs in Developing Countries

HKS Working Paper No. RWP18-024
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 05 Sep 2018
Rema Hanna and Benjamin A. Olken
Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 105 (497,113)
Citation 32

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Universal Basic Incomes vs. Targeted Transfers: Anti-Poverty Programs in Developing Countries

NBER Working Paper No. w24939
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 28 Aug 2018 Last Revised: 22 Feb 2023
Rema Hanna and Benjamin A. Olken
Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 61 (690,132)
Citation 14

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Contracting Out the Last-Mile of Service Delivery: Subsidized Food Distribution in Indonesia

HKS Working Paper No. RWP16-001
Number of pages: 48 Posted: 05 Jan 2016
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and SMERU Research Institute
Downloads 116 (461,152)
Citation 1

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Food Subsidy, Indonesia, Social Policy, Outsourcing, Food Programs

Contracting Out the Last-Mile of Service Delivery: Subsidized Food Distribution in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w21837
Number of pages: 48 Posted: 04 Jan 2016 Last Revised: 03 Mar 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and SMERU Research Institute
Downloads 44 (799,712)

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Does Economic Growth Reduce Corruption? Theory and Evidence from Vietnam

NBER Working Paper No. w19483
Number of pages: 58 Posted: 28 Sep 2013 Last Revised: 27 Mar 2023
Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Northwestern University - Department of Economics, Duke University, Political Science and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 130 (424,761)
Citation 1

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Does Economic Growth Reduce Corruption? Theory and Evidence from Vietnam

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP9677
Number of pages: 60 Posted: 07 Oct 2013
Jie Bai, Seema Jayachandran, Edmund J. Malesky and Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Northwestern University - Department of Economics, Duke University, Political Science and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
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corruption, economic growth

10.

Climate Change and Economic Growth: Evidence from the Last Half Century

NBER Working Paper No. w14132
Number of pages: 48 Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Last Revised: 14 Aug 2022
Melissa Dell, Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 120 (447,268)
Citation 80

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Hit or Miss? The Effect of Assassinations on Institutions and War

NBER Working Paper No. w13102
Number of pages: 44 Posted: 27 Jun 2007 Last Revised: 26 Oct 2022
Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 116 (461,152)

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Hit or Miss? The Effect of Assassinations on Institutions and War

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP6298
Number of pages: 45 Posted: 22 May 2008
Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 3 (1,223,289)
Citation 19
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assassinations, institutions, war

12.

Ordeal Mechanisms in Targeting: Theory and Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w19127
Number of pages: 52 Posted: 29 Jun 2013 Last Revised: 07 Apr 2023
World Bank - Jakarta, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, World Bank and World Bank
Downloads 118 (452,928)
Citation 6

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13.

Direct Democracy and Local Public Goods: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w14123
Number of pages: 37 Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Last Revised: 05 Aug 2022
Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 118 (452,928)
Citation 19

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14.

Targeting the Poor: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w15980
Number of pages: 55 Posted: 17 May 2010 Last Revised: 02 Mar 2023
World Bank - Jakarta, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and Stanford University
Downloads 117 (455,868)
Citation 5

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15.

Do Television and Radio Destroy Social Capital? Evidence from Indonesian Villages

NBER Working Paper No. w12561
Number of pages: 45 Posted: 08 Oct 2006 Last Revised: 29 Oct 2022
Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 106 (490,193)
Citation 14

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16.
Downloads 100 (510,659)
Citation 122

Corruption Perceptions vs. Corruption Reality

NBER Working Paper No. w12428
Number of pages: 42 Posted: 13 Aug 2006 Last Revised: 02 Jan 2023
Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 98 (522,010)
Citation 18

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Corruption Perceptions vs. Corruption Reality

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP6272
Number of pages: 36 Posted: 21 May 2008
Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 2 (1,237,041)
Citation 1
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Beliefs, corruption, perception

17.

Making Moves Matter: Experimental Evidence on Incentivizing Bureaucrats Through Performance-Based Transfers

Number of pages: 42 Posted: 04 Mar 2017
Adnan Khan, Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Benjamin A. Olken
London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 99 (514,161)
Citation 2

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18.

The Simple Economics of Extortion: Evidence from Trucking in Aceh

NBER Working Paper No. w13145
Number of pages: 59 Posted: 27 Jun 2007 Last Revised: 04 Dec 2022
Benjamin A. Olken and Patrick Barron
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and World Bank
Downloads 83 (574,251)
Citation 33

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19.

The Development Effects of the Extractive Colonial Economy: The Dutch Cultivation System in Java

NBER Working Paper No. w24009
Number of pages: 51 Posted: 13 Nov 2017 Last Revised: 06 Feb 2023
Melissa Dell and Benjamin A. Olken
Harvard University - Department of Economics and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 81 (582,507)
Citation 14

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20.

The Personnel Economics of the State

NBER Working Paper No. w21825
Number of pages: 50 Posted: 28 Dec 2015 Last Revised: 19 Feb 2023
Frederico Finan, Benjamin A. Olken and Rohini Pande
University of California, Berkeley - Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and Yale University - Economic Growth Center
Downloads 81 (582,507)
Citation 55

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The (Lack of) Distortionary Effects of Proxy-Means Tests: Results from a Nationwide Experiment in Indonesia

HKS Working Paper No. RWP18-041
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 19 Dec 2018
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and SMERU Research Institute
Downloads 47 (778,005)

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The (Lack of) Distortionary Effects of Proxy-Means Tests: Results from a Nationwide Experiment in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w25362
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 17 Dec 2018 Last Revised: 20 Apr 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and SMERU Research Institute
Downloads 31 (907,805)

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22.

Network Structure and the Aggregation of Information: Theory and Evidence from Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w18351
Number of pages: 48 Posted: 01 Sep 2012 Last Revised: 22 Feb 2023
World Bank - Jakarta, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Stanford University - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 74 (613,054)
Citation 23

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23.

The Anatomy of Start-Stop Growth

NBER Working Paper No. w11528
Number of pages: 44 Posted: 16 Sep 2005 Last Revised: 03 Jul 2022
Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 74 (613,054)
Citation 15

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24.

Citywide Effects of High-Occupancy Vehicle Restrictions: Evidence from the Elimination of '3-in-1' in Jakarta

HKS Working Paper No. RWP17-008
Number of pages: 44 Posted: 04 Mar 2017
Rema Hanna, Gabriel Kreindler and Benjamin A. Olken
Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics, Students and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 71 (627,019)
Citation 1

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25.

Climate Shocks and Exports

NBER Working Paper No. w15711
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 01 Feb 2010 Last Revised: 07 Jun 2023
Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 67 (646,431)
Citation 45

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26.
Downloads 60 (682,551)
Citation 88

The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics

NBER Working Paper No. w17417
Number of pages: 48 Posted: 21 Sep 2011 Last Revised: 03 Feb 2023
London School of Economics (LSE) - Department of Economics, University of Maryland, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, affiliation not provided to SSRN and affiliation not provided to SSRN
Downloads 59 (701,602)
Citation 51

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The Political Economy of Deforestation in the Tropics

CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP9020
Number of pages: 48 Posted: 28 Sep 2012
London School of Economics (LSE) - Department of Economics, University of Maryland, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, affiliation not provided to SSRN and affiliation not provided to SSRN
Downloads 1 (1,252,039)
Citation 13
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biodiversity, climate change, corruption, Cournot competition, deforestation, environmental monitoring, illegal logging, political economy, satellite imagery

27.

Temperature and Income: Reconciling New Cross-Sectional and Panel Estimates

NBER Working Paper No. w14680
Number of pages: 14 Posted: 31 Jan 2009 Last Revised: 13 Aug 2022
Melissa Dell, Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 55 (710,332)
Citation 19

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28.

A Biological Model of Unions

NBER Working Paper No. w8257
Number of pages: 58 Posted: 01 May 2001 Last Revised: 25 Jul 2022
Michael Kremer and Benjamin A. Olken
Harvard University - Department of Economics and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 53 (722,092)

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29.

Can Electronic Procurement Improve Infrastructure Provision? Evidence from Public Works in India and Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w20344
Number of pages: 36 Posted: 04 Aug 2014 Last Revised: 02 Feb 2023
Sean Lewis-Faupel, Yusuf Neggers, Benjamin A. Olken and Rohini Pande
Government of the United States of America - Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and Yale University - Economic Growth Center
Downloads 49 (747,043)
Citation 29

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30.

Tax Farming Redux: Experimental Evidence on Performance Pay for Tax Collectors

NBER Working Paper No. w20627
Number of pages: 60 Posted: 27 Oct 2014 Last Revised: 13 May 2023
Adnan Khan, Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Benjamin A. Olken
London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 48 (753,457)
Citation 19

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31.
Downloads 48 (688,039)

Informal Taxation

NBER Working Paper No. w15221
Number of pages: 51 Posted: 18 Aug 2009 Last Revised: 03 Feb 2023
Benjamin A. Olken and Monica Singhal
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)
Downloads 48 (771,078)
Citation 12

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Informal Taxation

HKS Working Paper No. RWP09-033
Posted: 15 Dec 2009
Benjamin A. Olken and Monica Singhal
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

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informal taxation, public finance, international development

32.

The Power of Transparency: Information, Identification Cards and Food Subsidy Programs in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w20923
Number of pages: 45 Posted: 09 Feb 2015 Last Revised: 04 Mar 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and SMERU Research Institute
Downloads 46 (766,670)

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33.

Cumulative Impacts of Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Experimental Evidence from Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w24670
Number of pages: 70 Posted: 04 Jun 2018 Last Revised: 29 May 2023
National Team for Acceleration of Poverty Reduction, Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University) - School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, National Team for Acceleration of Poverty Reduction and National Team for Acceleration of Poverty Reduction
Downloads 43 (787,571)
Citation 11

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34.

The Missing "Missing Middle"

NBER Working Paper No. w19966
Number of pages: 23 Posted: 10 Mar 2014 Last Revised: 23 Jul 2023
Chang-Tai Hsieh and Benjamin A. Olken
University of Chicago - Booth School of Business and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 42 (794,598)
Citation 77

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35.

Wilderness Conservation and the Reach of the State: Evidence from National Borders in the Amazon

NBER Working Paper No. w24861
Number of pages: 22 Posted: 01 Aug 2018 Last Revised: 07 Jun 2023
Robin Burgess, Francisco Costa and Benjamin A. Olken
London School of Economics (LSE) - Department of Economics, FGV EPGE and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 33 (865,145)
Citation 3

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36.

Should Aid Reward Performance? Evidence from a Field Experiment on Health and Education in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w17892
Number of pages: 52 Posted: 02 Mar 2012 Last Revised: 22 May 2023
Benjamin A. Olken, Junko Onishi and Susan Wong
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics, World Bank and World Bank
Downloads 33 (865,145)
Citation 11

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37.

Citywide Effects of High-Occupancy Vehicle Restrictions: Evidence from the Elimination of ‘3-in-1’ in Jakarta

NBER Working Paper No. w23295
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 05 Apr 2017 Last Revised: 25 Feb 2023
Rema Hanna, Gabriel Kreindler and Benjamin A. Olken
Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics, Students and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 32 (873,581)
Citation 6

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38.

When Celebrities Speak: A Nationwide Twitter Experiment Promoting Vaccination in Indonesia

NBER Working Paper No. w25589
Number of pages: 56 Posted: 26 Feb 2019 Last Revised: 03 Jun 2023
World Bank - Jakarta, Stanford University - Department of Economics, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - School of InformationMicrosoft Corporation - Microsoft Research New England, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics and World Bank
Downloads 31 (882,257)
Citation 3

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39.

Making Moves Matter: Experimental Evidence on Incentivizing Bureaucrats Through Performance-Based Postings

NBER Working Paper No. w24383
Number of pages: 34 Posted: 12 Mar 2018 Last Revised: 15 Feb 2023
Adnan Khan, Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Benjamin A. Olken
London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics
Downloads 23 (957,481)
Citation 42

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40.

Do Leaders Matter? National Leadership and Growth Since World War Ii

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 120, No. 3, pp. 835 - 864, 2005
Posted: 24 Jan 2006
Benjamin F. Jones and Benjamin A. Olken
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Economics

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