The Building Inclusive Growth (BIG) Lab seeks to address structural barriers to equitable economic growth in low- and middle-income countries. We generate evidence-based approaches for tackling these barriers at both macroeconomic and microeconomic levels, using a broad range of quantitative methodologies.
We bring together faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates to address the root causes of global poverty. We understand that individuals in poverty face a complex set of barriers, and our researchers investigate the role of myriad factors in creating and sustaining inclusive growth, including institutional constraints, poor policies, market failures, societal biases and the lack of human capital or employment opportunities. Our lab is unified by a common commitment to producing cutting-edge academic research on economic development and with a strong emphasis on quantitatively-oriented methodologies.
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Can better civics education restore voter dissatisfaction over political corruption?
August 13, 2026
A study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that dissatisfaction with democracy resulted in lower support for democratic behaviors in Mexico, according to development economist and co-author Enrique Seira Bejarano of the University of Notre Dame. Seira, the Joe and Deborah Loughrey Professor of Economics and BIG Lab affiliate, studies how malfunctioning political institutions can cause economic issues and how democracy benefits and spurs economic growth in a country.
Heitor Pellegrina at the African Econometrics Summer University in Abidjan
June 24, 2025
The BIG Lab's Professor Heitor Pellegrina presented a session on trade & migration at the African Econometrics Summer University in Abidjan.
Prioritizing Prenatal Care May Decrease Low Birth Weight Outcomes, Research by Santosh Gautam Finds
June 20, 2025
"In The Gambia, a small country in West Africa, 1 in 10 newborns have a low birth weight — less than 5.5 pounds — and face daunting challenges. They are more likely to die within a month of birth or in their first year, and they experience higher rates of physical and cognitive impairment and higher risks of developing chronic health issues throughout their lives.
But there is a solution: More prenatal checkups support improved birth outcomes. That is a key finding of a new study co-authored by University of Notre Dame researchers, which provides new causal evidence from The Gambia that can help improve the health of newborns. The study was published in PLOS Global Public Health."
WSBT TV
Santosh Gautam discusses the possible consequences of new COVID-19 vaccination rules
May 29, 2025
Professor Santosh Guatam explains that Black women may be at risk from the changes in vaccination eligibility rules.
New research finds ‘John Paul II effect’ on boosting fertility in Latin America
April 01, 2025
Crux Now discusses Professor Lakshmi Iyer's work on the increases in fertility after Papal visits to Latin America, saying,
A new study claims that by stressing themes of marriage and family during 13 visits to the region between 1979 and 1996, St. John Paul II was responsible for boosting fertility rates across Latin America, resulting in a quarter-million extra births...
“These results indicate that people are really listening to what the pope has to say,” said Lakshmi Iyer, a professor of economics at Notre Dame. “And the topics he addresses really matter.”