Youth Economic Opportunities Conference: Markus Goldstein (World Bank) on adolescent girls' empowerment in Uganda

Insights from the 2012 Youth Economic Opportunities Conference

September 11-13, 2012 | Washington, DC

During the Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference, Markus Goldstein, Senior Economist at the World Bank, spoke with Microlinks about an adolescent girls' empowerment project in Uganda implemented by BRAC and the World Bank. The project focuses on providing four key elements: a safe social space for girls, life skills training, vocational training, and access to microfinance. In this video interview, Goldstein shares the promising results of rigorous impact evaluations that found that girls in the program are working more, earning more, and are 75 percent less likely to have had sex against their will. Goldstein closes by discussing the obligation of development practitioners to develop better evidence about what programs work, and what programs do not work. Watch the video to learn more.

Bio: Markus Goldstein

Dr. Markus Goldstein is a development economist with experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and South Asia. He is currently a Senior Economist in the Africa Region of the World Bank and in the Development Research Group. In the Africa regions, he leads the work of the Africa Region Gender Practice. His current research centers on issues of gender and economic activity, focusing on agriculture and small scale enterprises. He is currently involved in a number of impact evaluations on these topics across Africa. Goldstein has taught at the London School of Economics, the University of Ghana, Legon, and Georgetown University and published widely in academic journals and books. He holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.