Theory, General Equilibrium, and Political Economy in Development Economics
讨论了经济理论在发展经济学实证研究中的作用，强调一般均衡和政治经济学因素，指出忽视这些因素的微观数据反事实分析可能产生误导结论。
I discuss the role of economic theory in empirical work in development economics with special emphasis on general equilibrium and political economy considerations. I argue that economic theory plays (should play) a central role in formulating models, estimates of which can be used for counterfactual and policy analysis. I discuss why counterfactual analysis based on microdata that ignores general equilibrium and political economy issues may lead to misleading conclusions. I illustrate the main arguments using examples from recent work in development economics and political economy.