The Growth Co-Lab works at the cutting edge of policy research. We bring together practitioners and economists to design and evaluate policies that can generate inclusive prosperity.
The Harvard Growth Lab, Directed by Professor Ricardo Hausmann, has been pushing the frontiers of development policy for 15 years. The team, based in Cambridge, MA, has worked in over 30 countries. You can view the work of the Growth Lab at Harvard here.
At the LSE the team is led by Professor Richard Davies. We work closely with the Economics Observatory on events, data and publications. You can read more about the Observatory here.
Recent projects
Mozambique
This study provided a growth diagnostic of Mozambique to identify policies that may unlock the country’s potential and accelerate inclusive growth. The project provided an analysis of the economy of Mozambique; assessing the country’s growth trajectory, current productive capabilities, and opportunities for strategic diversification. The study was commissioned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and completed in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, USAID, the IMF, and the African Development Bank.
South Africa
Inclusive growth has failed in South Africa: the country has experienced more than a decade of weak and slowing economic growth, losing economic diversity, complexity and international competitiveness over time. Long-term problems include extreme inequality, widespread unemployment, and high prevalence of poverty. This project diagnosed the causes of South Africa’s challenges and worked with government and stakeholders to accelerate growth and include more citizens in the process. The work was jointly undertaken with South Africa’s National Treasury and was supported by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE), one of South Africa’s leading think tanks.
Tanzania
The Tanzanian economy experienced a significant acceleration over two decades, growing at an annual growth rate of 6% between 1998 and 2018. Despite attempts to re-orient towards manufacturing, the sector’s share of GDP has been stagnant, lingering below 10% over this period. This study deployed growth diagnostics within Tanzania’s manufacturing sector to promote a better understanding of the reasons why the country has failed to achieve its industrialization goals.
UK
The UK has had mixed experience with macroeconomic modelling. As part of its regular review of this area, the Economic and Social research Council (ESRC) commissioned us to provide an in-depth summary of the UK’s macroeconomic modelling landscape. The report combined desk-research with in-depth interviews with economists working on UK models. This work should help set out a path to future funding in this area.
Ukraine
The reconstruction of Ukraine will be a daunting challenge, involving multiple stakeholders such as governments, international financial institutions, private sector, civil society, and academia in and out of Ukraine. To facilitate coordination across key stakeholders, the School of Public Policy organised and hosted the Ukraine Reconstruction Forum in May 2022. Learn more about the Forum here.
For LSE Students: Get Involved!
The work of the Co-Lab is varied and we often have short-term positions for researchers to help us deliver projects.
If you are interested, please email Rahat at r.siddique@lse.ac.uk with the subject line ‘Student Research Assistance for Growth Co-Lab’ or click here.
Meet the Team
Charlie Meyrick
Data Manager
Fernando Pino
Research Assistant
Josh Hellings
Data Scientist
Finn McEvoy
Data Scientist