Chris Blattman describes an update on one of his projects with IPA in Liberia:

Helen, the research assistant overseeing the targeting, surveying, and behavioral measurement emails me on progress:

…surprisingly none of our equipment disappeared and none of our enumerators were juked, harassed or hustled from.

On two different occasions in the past week our respondents allegedly stole from community members–some tennis shoes and a blind man’s radio–so at least anecdotally we’ve got the right guys.

We also had one mobilizer visit a respondent in jail (for stabbing a woman) and upon release he came to do behavioral measurements and was selected into the transformation program.

On the first day the head of our mobilization and program team, Dexter, approached one youth to interest him in the program. About 30 seconds into his schpeel, the respondent gets excited: “Are you guys finally getting the boys together again? I’ve been waiting for this.”