Rephonic
Artwork for Ideas in Development

Ideas in Development

Ideas in Development
Artificial Intelligence
Africa
India
Vietnam
Economic Growth
Africa Urban Lab
Economic Development
Rwanda
Precision Development
Growth Policy
Cities
Adalat AI
Youth Impact
Costa Rica
Industrial Revolution
Infrastructure
Doi Moi Reforms
Poverty Reduction
Governance and Policy
Peru

Conversations on the forces shaping economic development.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes25Founded5 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Social SciencesScienceEducation

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Ideas in Development

Latest Episodes

The conversation about evidence-based policy usually asks why good evidence isn't shaping decisions. But we should also be asking, is the evidence base itself actually worthy of shaping policy?

In this episode of Ideas in Development, Rafe Meager – ... more

Development economics has built a large empirical evidence base across a range of topics and policies – but how, when and where is it being used? We often assume that evidence will have an impact, but have surprisingly few answers to these key questi... more

This episode might sound a little different to normal, as it was recorded live.

For decades, the standard prescription for growth in developing countries was clear: industrialise. Dani Rodrik used to argue that manufacturing was the escalator that c... more

How can developing countries catch up with the technology frontier? The standard debate frames it as a choice between adopting technology from abroad and innovating at home. Karthik Tadepalli argues that this dichotomy is false – and that two of the ... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Capitalisn't
Capitalisn'tUniversity of Chicago Podcast Network
Conversations with Tyler
Conversations with TylerMercatus Center at George Mason University
The Pie: An Economics Podcast
The Pie: An Economics PodcastBecker Friedman Institute at UChicago
80,000 Hours Podcast
80,000 Hours PodcastThe 80,000 Hours team

Recent Guests

Michelle Rao
Fellow at the Center for Global Development
Center for Global Development
Episode: S4 Ep1: The evidence gap on evidence use
Dani Rodrik
Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Kennedy School
Episode: Why Dani Rodrik changed his mind on manufacturing
Karthik Tadepall
PhD student at UC Berkeley and writer on technology policy
UC Berkeley
Episode: Adopt AND innovate: How Brazil and Taiwan did both
Ed Glaeser
Professor of economics at Harvard University
Harvard University
Episode: S3 Ep7: The perfect city?
Leonard Wantchekon
James Madison Professor of Political Economy at Princeton University, founder and president of the African School of Economics
Princeton University; African School of Economics
Episode: S3 Ep6: Cities of opportunity, not powder kegs
Chris Blattman
Economist, political scientist, professor at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
Episode: S3 Ep5: How crime takes over cities
Thierry Hoza Ngoga
Leading implementer of Rwanda's land regularization program
Rwanda land reform program / advisor to governments in Sub-Saharan Africa
Episode: S3 Ep4: Why was Rwanda’s land reform so successful?
Kecia Rust
Executive Director and Founder of the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa
Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa
Episode: S3 Ep3: YIMBY goes global? How to build more houses in Africa
Astrid Haas
Fellow and lecturer at the Africa Urban Lab
Africa Urban Lab
Episode: S3 Ep2: How can African cities pay for stuff?

Hosts

Oliver Hany
Managing editor at VoxDev; host of the show; frequent contributor on development policy and urban topics.
Oliver Hanney
Managing editor at VoxDev; co-host focusing on urban development and policy.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 7 ratings
  • my thoughts

    Exciting stuff, can’t wait!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mrgeneralbean
    France5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Strong on African urban issues with grounded case studies.
Thoughtful take on development policy; great guest matches.
Polishes complex topics into actionable ideas.
Practical insights, not just theory.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

S4 Ep1: The evidence gap on evidence use
Q: To start with, what do we mean exactly when we say evidence, and what don't we mean?
We mean causal evidence that tells us about the impact of a policy or event on outcomes, using counterfactual thinking and methods to approximate what would have happened in the absence of the policy, while acknowledging that not all valuable evidence is strictly causal.
Why Dani Rodrik changed his mind on manufacturing
Q: What would an industrial policy for services look like, and can you give concrete examples beyond manufacturing?
Industrial policy for services would be embedded and collaborative, not top-down or subsidy-heavy. It would involve public inputs, vocational training, infrastructure, regulatory adjustments, and partnerships with firms to understand needs. Examples include Haryana's program partnering with ride-hailing platforms to expand local driver employment, and a Colombian social enterprise coordinating street vendors with input purchasing, both designed to raise productivity without subsidies.
Why Dani Rodrik changed his mind on manufacturing
Q: Could you summarize what the traditional growth model looked like and what changed over time to make you rethink manufacturing as the main engine of growth?
The traditional view emphasized fundamentals and structural change, with manufacturing acting as an escalator to move labor into high-productivity activities. Over time, evidence from cross-country data and global value chains showed that manufacturing no longer automatically delivers rapid, inclusive growth and that service sectors can play a much larger, more productive role—especially when supported by an embedded, policy-enabled approach.
S3 Ep6: Cities of opportunity, not powder kegs
Q: What practical steps can cities take to foster civic engagement beyond voting?
Introduce deliberative institutions, town-hall style forums, and participatory democracy that persist between elections, empowering communities to influence decisions and strengthen trust in governance.
S3 Ep6: Cities of opportunity, not powder kegs
Q: What are the drivers behind youth protests in places like Kenya, and how should governments respond?
Protests arise from a history of political violence and insufficient dialogue; solutions require deliberate investment in peaceful protest, institutional dialogue, and governance reforms that engage youth rather than repress them.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Ideas in Development

What is Ideas in Development about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Across recent episodes, the show centers on how policy, finance, and technology drive development, with a strong focus on Africa's urbanization, housing, and governance. Conversations explore land reform, affordable housing delivery, city finance, and the role of AI in development, balancing practical case studies with broader policy insights. Noteworthy are the rigorous linkages drawn between local experiments and scalable strategies, plus thoughtful takes on data, institutions, and implementation challenges that matter to policymakers, builders, and funders alike.

Where can I find podcast stats for Ideas in Development?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Ideas in Development. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Ideas in Development and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Ideas in Development get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Ideas in Development, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Ideas in Development?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Ideas in Development, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Ideas in Development have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Ideas in Development has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Ideas in Development?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Ideas in Development:

1. VoxDev Development Economics
2. Capitalisn't
3. Conversations with Tyler
4. The Pie: An Economics Podcast
5. 80,000 Hours Podcast

How many episodes of Ideas in Development are there?

Ideas in Development launched 5 months ago and published 25 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Ideas in Development?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Ideas in Development?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Ideas in Development from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Ideas in Development?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Ideas in Development. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Ideas in Development?

Recent guests on Ideas in Development include:

1. Michelle Rao
2. Dani Rodrik
3. Karthik Tadepall
4. Ed Glaeser
5. Leonard Wantchekon
6. Chris Blattman
7. Thierry Hoza Ngoga
8. Kecia Rust

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days