Author archives: Owen Barder

There is nothing inherently wrong with price discrimination. But some of the mechanisms firms use to enforce it have huge welfare costs. [Continue reading] Price discrimination and welfare costs

One of my blog posts (written with Kim Elliott) ended up on Hillary Clinton’s desk according to the latest batch of released emails. [Continue reading] When the US Secretary of State reads your blog posts

The Economist considers the implications of the UK’s new aid strategy. [Continue reading] Strings attached

By the end of today, the average Chief Executive of a FTSE 100 company will have been paid more than the average employee earns all year.  The same average employee will have been paid more than the average Ethiopian earns all year. [Continue reading] Fat cats

It is time to change the British government rule which make the children of aid workers ineligible for student finance. [Continue reading] Supporting our overseas workers (student loans edition)

Britain’s new aid strategy has important implications, not only for DFID but for international organisations who will either need to adapt or face losing some of their core funding. Here’s why. [Continue reading] Is the UK putting its own interests ahead of the poor in its new aid strategy?

There was nothing unconstitutional about yesterday’s decision by the House of Lords. [Continue reading] Vague about the Constitution

XKCD teases the innovation fetish in international development. [Continue reading] XKCD on World Polio Day

Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, says that the world is moving closer to the historic goal of ending poverty by 2030: This is the best story in the world today — these projections show us that we are the first generation in human history that can end extreme poverty … This new forecast […]

The Free Exchange column in this week’s Economist discusses the work of the High Level Panel on Humanitarian Cash Transfers. [Continue reading] Humanitarian Cash Transfers