Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 6h

💡 Mobile phone metadata is uncovering new possibilities for development research, from improving cash transfer programs to measuring levels of religiosity.

Learn more in a new @voxdev.bsky.social article featuring CEGA Faculty Co-Director Joshua Blumenstock's research: go.cega.org/VoxDevdata

How economists are using new data sources in development economics

Development economists are harnessing satellite imagery, mobile phone metadata, government tax records and even leaked documents to answer questions that were previously out of reach.

go.cega.org

Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 1d

💧 Small-scale irrigation supports farmer livelihoods but can strain groundwater resources. How do we strike a balance?

Join us on Oct 23 for a session on Balancing Small-Scale Irrigation Solutions with Ram Fishman & @hagertynw.bsky.social.

Register: go.cega.org/registerATAIwebinar

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 2d

How can we do more with less to end global hunger?

Join CEGA on October 28 for Evidence to Action 2025: Fighting Hunger in the New Foreign Aid Landscape, featuring keynote speaker Rikin Gandhi, co-founder and CEO of Digital Green.

🔗 Register here: go.cega.org/E2A2025

E2A 2025: Fighting Hunger in the New Foreign Aid Landscape

E2A 2025 will showcase how evidence-based programs delivering agricultural services & social assistance are protecting food security and livelihoods.

go.cega.org

Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 5d

🌍 Fellow Friday: Meet Samwel Nassary!

CEGA is excited to welcome Samwel Nassary as a Fall 2025 Fellow! Learn more about Samwel and his research here: go.cega.org/samwelnassary

🌟 Stay tuned every Friday as we introduce our latest cohort of fellows!

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Reposted by Center for Effective Global Action

Caroline Krafft @ckrafftc.bsky.social · 6d

Spring 2026 Fellowship on Ecuador Refugee Research at @cega-uc.bsky.social UC Berkeley (January-May 2026). Preference will be given to applicants currently based in Ecuador who have the lived experience of forced displacement, see details: #FundSocSci docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Ecuador Special Call Fellowship RFA

CEGA Fellowship: Ecuador Refugee Research Fellowship Spring 2026 Request for Applications: APPLY HERE Table of Contents TIMELINE 1 OVERVIEW OF OPPORTUNITY 1 ELIGIBILITY 3 HOW TO APPLY 4 APPENDIX A:...

docs.google.com

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 6d

🌍 Small-scale farmers face rising climate risks, but groundbreaking innovations can help.

Join us on Oct 9 for Microbial Fertilizers & Cold Storage: Climate-Resilient Technologies for Small-Scale Farmers with Tavneet Suri & Shweta Bhogale.

🔗 Register here: go.cega.org/registerATAIwebinar

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 7d

Digital, bundled agriculture services can improve the lives of small-scale farmers—but the evidence base is limited. A new #CEGABlog highlights promising trends from ongoing studies that help address this evidence gap.

📖 Learn more: go.cega.org/bundledservices

State of the Evidence for Digital, Bundled Agricultural Services

Bundled solutions may more holistically address farmers’ barriers and challenges in accessing profitable agrifood systems.

go.cega.org

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 8d

🚨 We’re #hiring!

CEGA is looking for a Postdoctoral Scholar to join our Data Privacy Lab and support the responsible implementation of privacy-enhancing technologies in low- and middle-income countries.

👉 Learn more and apply here: go.cega.org/DPLpostdoc

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 9d

Are you interested in how poverty shapes mental health?

🌍 Join CEGA for the 2025 Global Mental Health Convening, exploring cutting-edge research on mental health in low- and middle-income countries.

🔗 Learn more: go.cega.org/GMHC2025

Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 12d

Small-scale farmers face rising risks from climate change. How can AI and digital technology power profitable farming?

Join CEGA and @j-pal.bsky.social on Oct 1 for CEGA’s Leveraging Digital Technology to Address Weather-Based Risk webinar to learn more.

🔗 Register: go.cega.org/registerATAI...

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 13d

USAID's dismantling set back development globally. Now, investing in research on what works is more important.

CEGA's @carsonchristiano.bsky.social discussed the impact of the cuts on @kqedforum.bsky.social with @elissamio.bsky.social of @devex.com & @hana-kiros.bsky.social.

go.cega.org/forumusaid

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Reposted by Center for Effective Global Action

KQED Forum @kqedforum.bsky.social · 16d

🎧 Listen to the Podcast!

@devex.com's @elissamio.bsky.social, @theatlantic.com's @hana-kiros.bsky.social, &
@cega-uc.bsky.social's @carsonchristiano.bsky.social on the unraveling of USAID’s work & what America’s retreat means for the future of global health and humanitarian aid

🔗: buff.ly/kdLmHRw

KQED's Forum

Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second…

link.chtbl.com

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Reposted by Center for Effective Global Action

KQED Forum @kqedforum.bsky.social · 16d

🎙️ON AIR:

We're talking to @devex.com's @elissamio.bsky.social, @theatlantic.com's @hana-kiros.bsky.social, and @cega-uc.bsky.social's @carsonchristiano.bsky.social about the unraveling of USAID’s work and what America’s retreat means for the future of global health and humanitarian aid.

📻Listen:

USAID Died Slowly, Alongside America’s Role in Global Health | KQED

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has long been one of the world’s largest providers of contraceptives and disaster relief. But recent funding cuts and orders from the Trump…

buff.ly

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 23d

📚 New evidence from Rwanda shows that school feeding programs are a cost-effective way to boost academic performance for primary school students.

Learn more in a new publication by 2022 CEGA Fellow Aimable Nsabima: go.cega.org/schoolfeedingRwanda

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Reposted by Center for Effective Global Action

Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative @refugeesri.bsky.social · 26d

Join the RSRI, @blumontdev.bsky.social, and @cega-uc.bsky.social for a timely webinar exploring emerging evidence on housing interventions for refugees and IDPs, and how these programs affect broader domains of #selfreliance, such as psychosocial well-being and economic resilience: buff.ly/BbmRpsA

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 26d

Are you a social science researcher interested in advancing open science?

@ucbitss.bsky.social is accepting applications for the BITSS Catalyst Program. Funding is available to develop a workshop, guidelines, or other open science materials.

Apply by Sept 30th: go.cega.org/BITSScatalyst25

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 27d

Save the Date! 📅

Join CEGA on November 7 for the Global Mental Health Convening, gathering experts to explore mental health in low- and middle-income countries. Speakers include: @johanneshaushofer.com, @saraevans-lacko.bsky.social, Judith Bass, Matt Lowe, and more.

🔗 : go.cega.org/GMHC2025

Global Mental Health Convening

This gathering will explore cutting-edge research and chart new directions for understanding and improving mental health in LMICs.

go.cega.org

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 28d

What if your predictions could help improve social science research?

@socscipredict.bsky.social is recruiting new panelists for an upcoming forecasting panel. Earn up to $400 a year + a $300 bonus for panelists with high predictive accuracy.

Apply by September 16: go.cega.org/SSPPpanel

Apply to Join our SSPP Forecasting Panel 2.0!

Would you like to stay informed about the latest developments in social science research, assess your forecasting accuracy, and receive financial compensation for your participation in the process?…

go.cega.org

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Reposted by Center for Effective Global Action

Environmental Markets Lab (emLab) @emlab.ucsb.edu · 29d

In collaboration with @cega-uc.bsky.social,
our team is now putting MOSAIKS into practice in Africa! 🌍

Through the launch of the Togo Data Lab, we're working to embed #DataScience tools like MOSAIKS directly into government decision-making.

👉 Learn more here: emlab.ucsb.edu/projects/cul...

Cultivating data science capacity in Africa: Piloting a Data Lab in Togo | emLab

emlab.ucsb.edu

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · 29d

🌍 Don’t miss CEGA’s upcoming webinar series: Research to Action for Resilient Agriculture! Hear from leading researchers & practitioners and explore evidence-based solutions at the intersection of climate adaptation & agriculture.

Register here: go.cega.org/registerATAIwebinar

Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · Sep 8

🚨 New Career Opportunity!

The Government of Togo is hiring a Data Science Consultant to develop a new social registry that leverages innovative technologies like ML and GIS to support social protection programs.

🔗 Apply here: go.cega.org/togoDSconsultant

Reposted by Center for Effective Global Action

Social Science Prediction Platform (SSPP) @socscipredict.bsky.social · Sep 4

📣 Interested in making more forecasts? Want to get paid for doing so? Apply for the SSPP Forecasting Panel! Panelists receive $400 a year + a $300 bonus for high accuracy.

Apply here: socialscienceprediction.org/predict/r/09...

@cega-uc.bsky.social @evavivalt.bsky.social @sdellavi.bsky.social

Apply to Join our SSPP Forecasting Panel 2.0!

Would you like to stay informed about the latest developments in social science research, assess your forecasting accuracy, and receive financial compensation for your participation in the process? Ap...

socialscienceprediction.org

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · Sep 3

Does where you go to college really matter?

In a new working paper, Deepshikha Batheja, Opinder Kaur, and Sarojini Hirshleifer explore how university ranking and certification exam performance impact hiring outcomes for engineering graduates in India.

📖: go.cega.org/WP245

Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · Sep 2

💵 How far can $1 a year go?

A recent @nytimes.com article features CEGA Faculty Co-Director @tedmiguel.bsky.social’s research showing that childhood deworming interventions offer long-term economic benefits—for less than $1 per child per year.

Read here: go.cega.org/NYTdeworming

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Center for Effective Global Action @cega-uc.bsky.social · Aug 29

🌍 In an era of uncertainty in global development, the 2025 Africa Evidence Summit marked a critical step towards reimagining the future of foreign aid. In a new #CEGABlog, @mayaranganath.bsky.social reflects on key takeaways from the event.

📖 Read here: go.cega.org/AES25blog

Africa Evidence Summit: Hope and Community Amid a Struggling Development Sector

Director of Policy and Inclusion Maya Ranganath reflects on this year’s Africa Evidence Summit, held in Nairobi from June 23rd to 25th.

go.cega.org

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