Essays on Macroeconomic Development

What are the key barriers to economic growth in developing countries? This dissertation examines this question through two in-depth case studies, each highlighting distinct frictions that constrain economic development. The first case study investigates how coordination frictions contribute to food loss in agricultural supply chains in Ghana. While food loss is often attributed to inadequate storage technologies, I find that farmers who struggle to find buyers experience significantly higher levels of food loss than those who do not. When searching for a buyer takes time, farmers store their harvests for extended periods, leading to increased losses. I then identify potential policy interventions to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce food loss. The second case study, co-authored with Robert Townsend, explores how financial frictions hinder economic growth in Thailand. Microfinance programs are frequently piloted at the village level, but must be expanded nationally to drive large-scale economic change. Our research examines how barriers to migration between villages mediate the effectiveness of microfinance when financial interventions are implemented at scale, providing insights into how to design more effective interventions.