A few things have been on my mind for awhile.  Topics I'm particularly fascinated by, and that I think are important for development.  They are the following:

How people access and process information, and what the deficiencies in that process mean for the challenges we face in international development.  I actually think this is very relevant for a long list of issues, especially aid and access to capital.

Prospect theory and the implications for development.  In sum, prospect theory argues that we value things not absolutely, but relative to other things.  This implies we're basically hamsters on a wheel, always trying to keep up with the Joneses.

The evolutionary role of fairness and how it shapes our behavior today (see recent posting from one of Sendhil's papers).

Where the right equilibrium is when it comes to measuring effectiveness and creating accountability in development.  In short, I think we have more to learn from the private sector than from academia (i.e. I have quite a few criticisms of the randomista camp).

How early stage investors access and process information to make investment decisions.  I'm very interested in fostering innovation and access to capital is an important part of it.  I wrote a paper on this for Asim Khwaja's class.  I thought he would throw up all over it because I argued that there are very significant behavioral elements.  He didn't.

The role of proximity in early stage venture capital, for the same reasons as mentioned above.  I wrote my final paper on this in Asim's class.  He actually liked it (he's unimaginably critical, which is part of why I love him so much).  He also thought I should push on the issue more, so I will post a cliff notes version soon.

* * *

My little vacation from blogging came to a screeching halt this past week at TED, and many of the talks touched on these topics.  My mind is bursting at the seams and I have to get my thoughts in writing to alleviate my excitement, so a deluge of posts are coming your way.