Bob Rijkers
Biographic Data
| ID | 5733015 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bob Rijkers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bob |
| FAMILY NAME | Rijkers |
| SIGNATURE | RIJKERS B |
| AFFILIATIONS | World Bank |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2350-567X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 62 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Promoting Innovative Startups
Transnational terrorism and the internet
Transnational Terrorism and the Internet
Does the internet enable the \n recruitment of transnational terrorists Using geo-referenced \n population census data and personnel records from the \n Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant—a highly tech-savvy \n terrorist organization—this paper shows that internet access \n has facilitated the organization’s recruitment of foreign \n fighters from Tunisia. The positive association between \n internet access and Daesh recruitment is robust to \n…
Corruption in Customs
This paper presents a new methodology to detect corruption in customs and applies it to Madagascar's main port. Manipulation of assignment of import declarations to inspectors is identified by measuring deviations from random assignment prescribed by official rules. Deviant declarations are more at risk of tax evasion, yet less likely to be deemed fraudulent by inspectors, who also clear them faster. An intervention in which inspector assignment …
Elite Capture of Foreign Aid
Do elites capture foreign aid? This paper documents that aid disbursements to highly aid-dependent countries coincide with sharp increases in bank deposits in offshore financial centers known for bank secrecy and private wealth management but not in other financial centers. The estimates are not confounded by contemporaneous shocks—such as civil conflicts, natural disasters, and financial crises—and are robust to instrumenting using predetermined…
Does Democratisation Promote Competition? Evidence from Indonesia
Does democratisation promote economic competition? This paper documents that the disruption of political connections associated with Suharto's fall had a modest pro-competitive effect on Indonesian manufacturing industries. Firms with connections to Suharto lost substantial market share following his resignation. Industries in which Suharto family firms had larger market share during his tenure exhibited weak improvements in broader measures of c…
Measuring Employment
Using a randomized survey experiment in urban Ghana, this paper demonstrates that the length of the reference period and the interview modality (in person or over the phone) affect how people respond in labor surveys, with impacts varying markedly by job type. Survey participants report significantly more self-employment spells when the reference period is shorter than the traditional one week, with the impacts concentrated among those in home-ba…
Who on Earth can Work from Home
This paper presents new estimates of the share of jobs that can be performed from home. The analysis is based on the task content of occupations, their information and communications technology requirements, and the availability of internet access by country and income groupings. Globally, one of every five jobs can be performed from home. The ability to telework is correlated with income. In low-income countries, only one of every 26 jobs can be…
Deals and Delays
Whether demands for bribes for particular government services are associated with expedited or delayed policy implementation underlies debates around the role of corruption in private sector development. The “grease the wheels” hypothesis, which contends that bribes act as speed money, implies three testable predictions. First, on average, bribe requests should be negatively correlated with wait times. Second, this relationship should vary across…
All in the family
Deals and Delays
This paper examines whether demands for bribes for particular government services are associated with expedited or delayed policy implementation. The "grease the wheels" hypothesis, which contends that bribes act as speed money, implies three testable predictions. First, on average, bribe requests should be negatively correlated with wait times. Second, this relationship should vary across firms, with those with the highest opportunity cost of wa…
Do Crises Catalyze Creative Destruction? Firm-level Evidence from Indonesia
Using Indonesian manufacturing census data (1991–2001), this paper rejects the hypothesis that the East Asian crisis unequivocally improved the reallocative process. The correlation between productivity and employment growth did not strengthen, and the crisis induced the exit of relatively productive firms. The attenuation of the relationship between productivity and survival was stronger in provinces with comparatively lower reductions in minimu…
The Effects of Risk and Shocks on Non-Farm Enterprise Development in Rural Ethiopia
Gender and Rural Non-Farm Entrepreneurship
A Rural–Urban Comparison of Manufacturing Enterprise Performance in Ethiopia
Who Benefits from Promoting Small Enterprises? Some Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia
Gender and Rural Non-Farm Entrepreneurship
Elite Capture of Foreign Aid
Do elites capture foreign aid? This paper documents that aid disbursements to highly aid-dependent countries coincide with sharp increases in bank deposits in offshore financial centers known for bank secrecy and private wealth management but not in other financial centers. The estimates are not confounded by contemporaneous shocks—such as civil conflicts, natural disasters, and financial crises—and are robust to instrumenting using predetermined…
All in the family
A Rural–Urban Comparison of Manufacturing Enterprise Performance in Ethiopia
The Effects of Risk and Shocks on Non-Farm Enterprise Development in Rural Ethiopia
Promoting Innovative Startups
Who Benefits from Promoting Small Enterprises? Some Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia
A Rural–Urban Comparison of Manufacturing Enterprise Performance in Ethiopia
Gender and Rural Non-Farm Entrepreneurship
Do Crises Catalyze Creative Destruction? Firm-level Evidence from Indonesia
Using Indonesian manufacturing census data (1991–2001), this paper rejects the hypothesis that the East Asian crisis unequivocally improved the reallocative process. The correlation between productivity and employment growth did not strengthen, and the crisis induced the exit of relatively productive firms. The attenuation of the relationship between productivity and survival was stronger in provinces with comparatively lower reductions in minimu…
The Effects of Risk and Shocks on Non-Farm Enterprise Development in Rural Ethiopia
Deals and Delays
This paper examines whether demands for bribes for particular government services are associated with expedited or delayed policy implementation. The "grease the wheels" hypothesis, which contends that bribes act as speed money, implies three testable predictions. First, on average, bribe requests should be negatively correlated with wait times. Second, this relationship should vary across firms, with those with the highest opportunity cost of wa…
Deals and Delays
Whether demands for bribes for particular government services are associated with expedited or delayed policy implementation underlies debates around the role of corruption in private sector development. The “grease the wheels” hypothesis, which contends that bribes act as speed money, implies three testable predictions. First, on average, bribe requests should be negatively correlated with wait times. Second, this relationship should vary across…
All in the family
Measuring Employment
Using a randomized survey experiment in urban Ghana, this paper demonstrates that the length of the reference period and the interview modality (in person or over the phone) affect how people respond in labor surveys, with impacts varying markedly by job type. Survey participants report significantly more self-employment spells when the reference period is shorter than the traditional one week, with the impacts concentrated among those in home-ba…
Who on Earth can Work from Home
This paper presents new estimates of the share of jobs that can be performed from home. The analysis is based on the task content of occupations, their information and communications technology requirements, and the availability of internet access by country and income groupings. Globally, one of every five jobs can be performed from home. The ability to telework is correlated with income. In low-income countries, only one of every 26 jobs can be…
Transnational Terrorism and the Internet
Does the internet enable the \n recruitment of transnational terrorists Using geo-referenced \n population census data and personnel records from the \n Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant—a highly tech-savvy \n terrorist organization—this paper shows that internet access \n has facilitated the organization’s recruitment of foreign \n fighters from Tunisia. The positive association between \n internet access and Daesh recruitment is robust to \n…
Corruption in Customs
This paper presents a new methodology to detect corruption in customs and applies it to Madagascar's main port. Manipulation of assignment of import declarations to inspectors is identified by measuring deviations from random assignment prescribed by official rules. Deviant declarations are more at risk of tax evasion, yet less likely to be deemed fraudulent by inspectors, who also clear them faster. An intervention in which inspector assignment …
Elite Capture of Foreign Aid
Do elites capture foreign aid? This paper documents that aid disbursements to highly aid-dependent countries coincide with sharp increases in bank deposits in offshore financial centers known for bank secrecy and private wealth management but not in other financial centers. The estimates are not confounded by contemporaneous shocks—such as civil conflicts, natural disasters, and financial crises—and are robust to instrumenting using predetermined…
Does Democratisation Promote Competition? Evidence from Indonesia
Does democratisation promote economic competition? This paper documents that the disruption of political connections associated with Suharto's fall had a modest pro-competitive effect on Indonesian manufacturing industries. Firms with connections to Suharto lost substantial market share following his resignation. Industries in which Suharto family firms had larger market share during his tenure exhibited weak improvements in broader measures of c…
Transnational terrorism and the internet
Promoting Innovative Startups
Business (10 works) · Economics (10 works) · Political science (6 works) · Economic growth (5 works) · Geography (5 works) · Microfinance and Financial Inclusion (4 works) · Agricultural economics (3 works) · Agriculture (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Corporate Finance and Governance (3 works)