1. Microfinance: New evidence from Morocco is the latest addition to the debate on whether microcredit can raise income and reduce poverty. The Economist
2. Credit: Arguing about fees in the small-dollar credit market distracts from more productive debates for providers and consumers. American Banker
3. Research Methodology: Creative approaches to qualitative research - balancing survey questions with "deep hanging out." Chris Blattman
4. Household Finance: "More effective approaches to helping [the poor] manage their finances would take into account the complex alchemy through which they turn countless relationships and resources into cash." NextBillion
5. Impact Evaluation: How to justify your World Cup obsession as studying of the impact of poorly done stratified randomization. The World Bank: Development Impact Blog
Source: The Mastercard Foundation
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.