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Private Enterprise Development in Low Income Countries

Private Enterprise Development in Low Income Countries (PEDL) is a joint research initiative of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It was established in 2011 and it pursues a research agenda focusing on private-sector development in low-income countries (LICs).

PEDL offers a competitive research grants scheme for projects related to the behaviour of firms in low-income countries that aim to better understand what determines the strength of market forces driving efficiency in these countries. Since the launch of the initiative in 2011, PEDL has awarded nearly 400 grants. PEDL-funded projects have produced more than 150 refereed journal publications, including more than 30 in the top five journals in economics.

PEDL 15th Anniversary Conference

The Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries programme is pleased to announce a special three-day conference marking the 15th anniversary of PEDL. The event will take place in person at the University of Oxford from 26-28 March 2026.

STEG-PEDL Virtual Course on 'Private Enterprise, Productivity, and Economic Growth'

The PEDL and STEG programmes are offering a free virtual course titled 'Private Enterprise, Productivity, and Economic Growth' in spring 2026. The course is taught by a series of lecturers and experts in the field. You can find more information and register using the link below.

Latest PEDL News

STEG

webinar

Session 1 (Penny Goldberg) - STEG-PEDL…

06 Feb 2026 at 15:30 UTC

Online

The PEDL and STEG programmes are offering a free virtual course titled 'Private Enterprises, Productivity, and Economic Growth' for the spring of…

The Business of Climate Technology Adoption:…

PEDL

conference

The Business of Climate Technology Adoption:…

12 Dec 2025 at 09:00 UTC

Online

A one-day research conference combining the latest academic research with discussion from the companies and investors who are driving the adoption of…

PEDL

conference

PEDL 15th Anniversary Conference

26 - 28 Mar 2026 at 09:00 UTC

Offline

The Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries programme is pleased to announce a special three-day conference marking the 15th…

Latest PEDL Projects

PEDL

Project

Farm to Fridge: Digital Traceability and…

Guanghong Xu

Disorganised agricultural value chains often prevent the transmission of quality incentives to upstream farmers, especially when quality is costly to…

Active from 01 February 2025 to 01 January 2026

PEDL

Project

Firms for Forests: Evaluating Payments for…

Rohini Pande,

Lucy Page,

Maike Pfeiffer

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are an increasingly common tool to help conserve biodiversity and store carbon in ecosystems worldwide. PES…

Active from 01 February 2025 to 31 January 2026

PEDL

Project

Adverse selection and moral hazard in…

Adam Osman,

Benjamin N. Roth,

Natalia Rigol,

Jules Gazeaud,

Youngjoo Jung

Interest rates on credit can affect microenterprise development in many ways. While high interest rates may lead to fewer people utilising credit for…

Active from 01 February 2025 to 31 January 2026

Latest PEDL Working Papers

Labour-Augmenting Technology…

Closing the gap between rich and poor countries will require firms in…

Pedro Naso,

Michel Armel Ndayikeza

PEDL

PEDL: Working Paper

Labour-Augmenting Technology and Firm…

Closing the gap between rich and poor countries will require firms in developing countries to adopt modern technologies. An important question is how…

29 September 2025

Risk Aversion and Demand…

Economists typically view firms as risk neutral. Yet many enterprises…

Grady Killeen

PEDL

PEDL: Working Paper