A short digest of recent journal articles, for anyone who doesn't have time to read the full issues this month.
1. On regional trade corridors
A recent article in a development economics journal traces how transport corridor investments in East Africa affected trade volumes between neighbouring countries over a ten-year window. The finding worth remembering: corridor investment mattered less than the "soft" reforms running alongside it — one-stop border posts and harmonised transit documentation explained more of the trade increase than the roads did.
2. On digital public infrastructure
Another paper looks at shared digital ID and payment rail systems across a handful of African countries, asking whether "digital public infrastructure" actually lowers the cost of financial inclusion or just shifts who captures the value. It's a useful corrective to some of the more celebratory writing on the topic.
3. On youth labour markets
A third piece revisits the relationship between education expansion and youth employment outcomes, using panel data across several countries. It challenges the assumption that more years of schooling mechanically translates into better employment prospects without matching demand-side job creation.
Why this format
Journal highlights like this one exist to save readers time — a pointer to what's worth a full read, not a substitute for it.
This is a placeholder post. Swap in the papers and journals you actually want to highlight, with links and full citations.