Week of October 12, 2015

1. Field Experiments: In honor of Angus Deaton's Nobel prize win, FAI Managing Director Timothy Ogden released a chapter from his forthcoming book, Experimental Conversations, that includes an interview with Deaton discussing his thoughts on evidence and how we learn in economics. Medium

2. Financial Inclusion: An in-depth discussion with Mani Nandhi, who is studying the complex financial lives and decisions of rickshaw pullers in New Delhi, reveals insights that could inform the development of innovative financial products for India's poor. IMTFI

3. Urban Economic Development: According to a new report, young people ages 15-24 will make up 60% of urban residents by the year 2030. As cities struggle with absorbingpopulation growth, how can programs help to promote youth economic empowerment and employment? Making Cents International

4. Regional Remittances: MTN announced its customers in Rwanda can now transfer money directly to mobile users in Uganda and MPESA account holders in Kenya. Are South-South remittances the next emerging mobile money market? Biz Tech Africa

5. Credit Scores: "Credit reports and scores are not race neutral. Rather, they embed existing racial inequities in our credit system and economy – to the point that a person’s credit information serves as a proxy for race." The Guardian

October 13, 2026

Financial Access Initiative

The Swarm Edition

Editor’s Note: I’m going to assume that you are seeing plenty of AI content (news and papers, not AI slop, though I’m sure you’re getting plenty of that too) from other sources, so I’m trying to think hard about the marginal value that the faiV can provide. As far as I’ve gotten so far: a) make sure that directly AI-related content does not take up more than 2 of the 5 items, and b) try to focus specifically on the cybersecurity issue for financial inclusion. Beyond that, I’m open to feedback on the value you get from the faiV in relation to AI to help guide us in the future. On a different note, I’ll be making a brief cameo appearance at the e-MFP Inclusive Finance Conference to moderate the opening plenary. If you haven’t registered, do so and I hope to see you there! - Tim Ogden

October 6, 2026

Laura Freschi

Rereading Michael Kremer

Ten years ago, FAI managing director Tim Ogden published Experimental Conversations, a collection of interviews with economists and other people who critique, promote, and use randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in development economics. One of the interviewees was Michael Kremer, a pioneer of the movement, now a Nobel laureate, and recently appointed Chief Economist of the World Bank.

August 13, 2026

The Massive DDoS Edition

Editor's Note:

If you were hoping that the faiV would be a pleasant distraction from the overwhelming flow of AI-related content, sorry. For the record, the faiV had “ai” built in before Anthropic existed. And a housekeeping note: we’ve finally jumped ship from Mailchimp to NYU’s mailing platform—I guess if you’re reading this it’s been a seamless transition and if you’re not, well, you’re not. Feedback on the faiV’s content and format and delivery methods is always welcome, just drop me an email.

- Tim Ogden

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