Evidence for Development Policy: The role of Gouvernance, Corruption, and Radicalization

This inter-mobility proposal aims to attract two Distinguished Professors from the NOVA School of Business and
Economics, well-known development economists in Europe, for a joint sabbatical year in 2024-25. This double application is in line with LISER's increasing research focus on development cooperation, in particular within the Research Unit on Impact Evaluation of Development Policies, created in June 2022 at the initiative of the Directorate of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Luxembourg Government, and with Research Luxembourg in the context of the LuxAid BRIDGES funding instrument. The addition of Professors Catia Batista and Pedro Vicente will not only benefit the entire research ecosystem in Luxembourg, but will also enhance the reputation and international visibility of Luxembourg and position LISER as a prominent partner in the field of cooperation and development economics. Both professors bring strong technical expertise in field-based research and randomized controlled trials on development policy issues, a skill set that needs to be further developed at LISER. Their research activities cover complementary topics.
Professor Pedro Vicente is the founding scientific director of the NOVAFRICA research center. He has made significant contributions through influential publications examining the link between economic development and quality of governance, corruption, and Islamic radicalization in Africa. This is particularly significant as it aligns with the Luxembourg government's priorities to eradicate extreme poverty by promoting sound public management, establishing accountable governance systems, and addressing Islamic radicalization in partner countries such as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. These countries, where operations are currently suspended due to political and security concerns, underscore the urgency of addressing radicalization and mitigating violent extremism. We also expect to leverage his current research agenda on urbanization in Africa to expand collaboration on the integration of urban migrants in cities. This could be of particular interest to Senegal,
where the larger cities are growing significantly. Urbanization affects access to water and sanitation, employment and skills acquisition, which are priorities for cooperation with Luxembourg, and is a response to climate change, a topic on which LISER is developing strong expertise. In addition, a link with Guinea-Bissau, where Pedro has an important research agenda, could be pursued, as many Guineans migrate to cities such as Dakar. This agenda is particularly pressing in view of the migratory pressure on Europe due to the lack of attractive migration opportunities in Central and West Africa. His agenda on health in Guinea-Bissau can also be extended to other partner countries of the Luxembourg cooperation, complementing LISER studies on access to health and the effectiveness of universal health coverage. In addition to research partnerships, Professors Vicente and Batista will contribute to knowledge transfer through capacity-building activities targeting the Research Luxembourg ecosystem and practitioners, doctoral training activities, LISER networking activities, and the organization of a joint NOVAFRICA-LISER workshop on impact evaluation of development policies. Our goal is to establish a long-term research collaboration with the Research Unit on Impact Evaluation of Development Policies, building on our ongoing agreement with J-PAL Europe. NOVAFRICA will become an institutional partner. This joint sabbatical would strengthen our internal expertise and contribute to positioning LISER as a leading research institution in
development economics in Europe.