I just had a call with a young EA from Oyo State in Nigeria (we were connected through the excellent EA Anywhere), and it was a great reminder of how little I know regarding malaria (and public health in developing countries more generally). In a very simplistic sense: are bednets actually the most cost effective way to fight against malaria?
I’ve read a variety of books on the development economics canon, I’m a big fan of the use of randomized control trials in social science, I remember worm wars and microfinance not being so amazing as people thought and critiques of Tom’s Shoes. I was thrilled when I first read Poor Economics, and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. But I’m a dabbler, not an expert. I haven’t done fieldwork; I’ve merely read popular books. I don’t have advanced coursework in this area.
It was nice to be reminded of how little I actually know, and of how superficial general interest in a field is not the same as detailed knowledge. If I worked professionally in development economics I would probably be hyper aware of the gaps in my knowledge. But as a person who merely dabbles in development as an interest, I’m not often confronted with the areas about which I am completely ignorant, and thus there is something vaguely like a Dunning-Kruger effect. I really enjoyed hearing perspectives from someone that knows a lot more than I do.
I just had a call with a young EA from Oyo State in Nigeria (we were connected through the excellent EA Anywhere), and it was a great reminder of how little I know regarding malaria (and public health in developing countries more generally). In a very simplistic sense: are bednets actually the most cost effective way to fight against malaria?
I’ve read a variety of books on the development economics canon, I’m a big fan of the use of randomized control trials in social science, I remember worm wars and microfinance not being so amazing as people thought and critiques of Tom’s Shoes. I was thrilled when I first read Poor Economics, and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. But I’m a dabbler, not an expert. I haven’t done fieldwork; I’ve merely read popular books. I don’t have advanced coursework in this area.
It was nice to be reminded of how little I actually know, and of how superficial general interest in a field is not the same as detailed knowledge. If I worked professionally in development economics I would probably be hyper aware of the gaps in my knowledge. But as a person who merely dabbles in development as an interest, I’m not often confronted with the areas about which I am completely ignorant, and thus there is something vaguely like a Dunning-Kruger effect. I really enjoyed hearing perspectives from someone that knows a lot more than I do.