Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Aug 25

Great to be in Sydney🇦🇺 for the first time for the 2025 @sioecon.bsky.social Conference hosted by UNSW. Turns out koalas are indeed real (and adorable!), and apparently sleep even more than academics after conference dinners.

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Reposted by Tim Köhler

VoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · Jul 15

🆕 The gender pay gap in South Africa: Firms, formality and churn

Today on VoxDev, Ihsaan Bassier (@uniofsurrey.bsky.social) & @leilagautham.bsky.social (@universityofleeds.bsky.social) discuss the dynamics of the gender pay gap in South Africa: voxdev.org/topic/labour...

The gender pay gap in South Africa: Firms, formality and churn

Half of South Africa’s gender pay gap comes from women sorting into low-paying firms, with low formality and high churn being key to understanding this dynamic.

voxdev.org

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Reposted by Tim Köhler

SALDRU @saldru.bsky.social · Jun 26

HAROON BHORAT (@haroonbhorat.bsky.social, our colleague at @dpru-uct.bsky.social): Getting the numbers right on the informal economy

www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2...

HAROON BHORAT: Getting the numbers right on the informal economy

It is wrong to assume that what is true at the local level must translate to a 1:1 relationship at national level

www.businesslive.co.za

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Jul 9

Very grateful to be in Senegal 🇸🇳 for the first time this week for @j-pal.bsky.social’s Summer School on advanced randomised evaluation design. Many thanks to J-PAL, CESAG, @afd-france.bsky.social, and others for hosting me!

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Jun 13

A fantastic and timely summer school, thanks very much @rodrigooliveira.bsky.social and the @unu-wider.bsky.social team for organising!

UNU-WIDER @unu-wider.bsky.social · Jun 13

The 2025 UNU-WIDER Summer School wraps up today in Helsinki! 🎓 A huge thank you to all participants, especially the emerging scholars tackling intergenerational social mobility. Stay tuned for their impactful research on ensuring societies Leave No One Behind. More info: go.unu.edu/P8JTH

Group photo from UNU-WIDER 2025 Summer School.

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Reposted by Tim Köhler

David McKenzie @dmckenzie.bsky.social · Jun 9

Now up: the 9th in my annual series of efforts to put together data on development journals: rankings, number of papers submitted (over 12,000 last year across 12 journals), number published (937), acceptance rates, time to review, open access stats, and more... blogs.worldbank.org/en/impacteva...

The State of Development Journals 2025: Quality, Acceptance Rates, Review Times, Open Access, and What’s New

blogs.worldbank.org

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Jun 9

Thank you for being such a fantastic Chair, Rachel. And so great to finally meet in person!

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Jun 9

Grateful to be attending the 2025 @unu-wider.bsky.social Development Conference here in Helsinki, which explicitly focuses on the role of social protection in driving growth and equality. Only Day 1 and I’ve learnt so much from everyone’s impressive work already!

UNU-WIDER @unu-wider.bsky.social · Jun 9

Fascinating research presented by WIDER Visiting Scholar Timothy Köhler on South Africa's social relief grant.

The paper reveals cash transfers to the unemployed boosted
🔎job search
📦business attempts
💼employment

though long-term effects aren't universal

#WIDERDevConf2025

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Jun 6

Great to be a part of this work. Excited to see how it evolves!

UNU-WIDER @unu-wider.bsky.social · Jun 6

An exciting workshop at UNU-WIDER earlier this week, as researchers gathered to finetune their research plans and both hear and provide expert feedback.

Follow the project, a part of @schmidtsciences.bsky.social‬ initiative on AI at work: go.unu.edu/5OVXX

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Jun 1

It’s been a really great two months so far, very grateful to be here! Thanks very much to the welcoming folks at @unu-wider.bsky.social for having me.

UNU-WIDER @unu-wider.bsky.social · Jun 1

First one of our spring 2025 Visiting Scholars to be introduced is @timkohler.bsky.social‬. Coming from @dpru-uct.bsky.social‬, he is a micro-economist focused on labour markets, social protection, and policy evaluation in lower-income countries. Meet our visitors: go.unu.edu/D0wIP

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · May 26

How have the returns to education evolved during the post-Apartheid era in South Africa?🇿🇦

Read about it in a new short Econ3x3 blog I’ve put together below, summarizing a 2024 RESEP paper also below.

www.econ3x3.org/article/how-...

Full paper for those interested: resep.sun.ac.za/wp-content/u...

How have the returns to education evolved in post-apartheid South Africa? | Econ3x3

www.econ3x3.org

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · May 13

Presented some work at the University of Turku🇫🇮 today. Grateful for the opportunity to share some ideas & learn from such a welcoming & kind group of researchers - an impressive bunch doing great work. Thanks to @jerniemin.bsky.social @asfandyk.bsky.social @selcencakir.bsky.social for organising!

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · May 13

Really kind of you to share, @leightjessica.bsky.social! I've long admired your efforts to help promote young scholars. Thank you very much!

Reposted by Tim Köhler

Jessica Leight @leightjessica.bsky.social · May 12

Today's cool young researcher #econtwitter #econsky is @TimothyKohler @timkohler.bsky.social @DPRU_UCT who works on topics related to labor + development

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Apr 24

Very grateful to be in beautiful Maastricht🇳🇱 today to present some work at @unumerit.bsky.social. Thanks for having me!

If you’re interested in attending in-person or online: go.unu.edu/9zq7Q

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Tim Köhler @timkohler.bsky.social · Apr 9

Very excited and grateful to be in beautiful Helsinki 🇫🇮 for the next few months as a Visiting Scholar at @unu-wider.bsky.social. If you’re around and would be keen to connect, please get in touch!

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Reposted by Tim Köhler

Children's Institute, University of Cape Town @childrensinstitute.bsky.social · Mar 18

Hi Bluesky! We're a research unit at University of Cape Town, addressing challenges facing children in South Africa through research, advocacy & education. We explore tensions between policy, practice & lived realities, to promote design & implementation of laws & services enabling kids to thrive 🌱

The six thematic areas that are the focus of the research, advocacy and education of the Children's Institute: Monitoring the advancement of children's rights; reducing poverty and inequality; protecting children from violence; enhancing health and development; promoting children's voice and agency; and securing futures for children.

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Reposted by Tim Köhler

SALDRU @saldru.bsky.social · Mar 18

Hello, Bluesky #EconSky! We're the Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at UCT, dedicated to challenging inequalities through policy-relevant academic research. We are one of the leading Labour & Development #Economics units on the continent. Explore our work: saldru.uct.ac.za

A picture of the University of Cape Town, where SALDRU is based.

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Reposted by Tim Köhler

DataFirst @datafirst.bsky.social · Mar 7

🔊Postdoc Research Fellowship at DataFirst!
Analyze large-scale African foundational learning data, conduct original research, & shape education policy.
Apply now!
➡️https://www.datafirst.uct.ac.za/articles/2025-02-04-postdoctoral-research-fellowship-opportunity

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Opportunity

We invite applications for a postdoctoral position to work in the AFLEARN Data Hub. The successful candidate will be involved in original empirical research; collating and analysing large-scale Africa...

www.datafirst.uct.ac.za

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