Stanford Economic Development Research Initiative (SEDRI)

SEDRI offers to build Stanford’s capacity to do cutting -edge economic policy research in the developing world. We propose to establish a long-term data collection and research presence in a number of developing countries. The research program centers on building a high-quality panel dataset to explore central issues in development, including: (1) human capital accumulation; (2) product and service provision; (3) diffusion of innovations; (4) governance; and (5) entrepreneurship. Building fieldwork research capacity at Stanford will not only allow senior faculty to do cutting - edge research in these domains, it will also provide, through its standing field operations, sustained training opportunities for students, post- docs, and early-career scholars. Altogether, such a campus-wide research collaboration will align the academic pursuits of Stanford scholars with contemporary trends in both policy and academia and so maintain Stanford’s leadership in international development.