Deep-dive, interactive summaries of essential texts in development economics, data visualisation, productivity, and public policy. Navigate chapters, explore key concepts, and build real understanding.
Click on a book to explore its interactive companion
A comprehensive guide covering cash transfers, public works, food subsidies, targeting methodologies, and the political economy of social protection across the developing world.
The definitive textbook covering economic development theory — inequality, poverty traps, credit markets, land reform, migration, and trade — with rigorous models and South Asian case studies.
28 chapters by specialist contributors covering the founders of modern economics from Aristotle and Ibn Khaldun through Smith, Ricardo, Marx, and Keynes. Backhaus’s editor-premise, via Pareto: economic theories, applied as policy, become the social facts they describe.
Deb’s eco-socialist critique of the doctrine of development. Dismantles eight neo-classical myths, introduces “developmentality” as the epistemic apparatus that renders alternatives invisible, and grounds strong sustainability in empirical evidence from his Basudha farm in West Bengal.
A practical guide to design thinking as a creative problem-solving methodology — covering empathy, iteration, interdisciplinary collaboration, and applications from healthcare to civic engagement.
The classic introductory econometrics textbook — regression analysis, hypothesis testing, multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation, and simultaneous equations with real-world examples.
A hands-on approach to econometrics through real-world examples — covering linear regression, panel data, logit/probit models, time series, and more with practical applications.
A practical guide to effective data communication — decluttering visuals, choosing the right chart, using preattentive attributes, and crafting narratives that drive action.
Data, charts, and maps for communication — covering truthfulness in visualisation, statistical reasoning, and how to create graphics that inform rather than mislead.
The seminal work on statistical graphics — data-ink ratio, chartjunk, sparklines, and principles for displaying data with clarity, precision, and efficiency.
Stripping the dread from data — an entertaining guide to probability, regression, central limit theorem, and how statistics can illuminate or deceive.
How bad statistics are created, spread, and used to mislead — a guide to becoming a critical consumer of numbers in media, policy, and everyday life.
How to inspire the world with data — the history of data visualization, storytelling principles, and how to create graphics that people actually trust and remember.
How climate science is communicated to policymakers and the public — visual strategies, uncertainty framing, and effective data presentation for climate action.
The foundational theory behind modern data visualisation — algebraic framework for constructing statistical graphics, from data transformations to aesthetic mappings and geometric objects.
A primer on systems thinking — feedback loops, stocks and flows, leverage points, and how to understand complex systems from ecosystems to economies.
Tiny changes, remarkable results — the four laws of behaviour change, habit stacking, identity-based habits, and practical strategies for building good habits and breaking bad ones.
Rules for focused success in a distracted world — why deep work matters, how to cultivate it, and strategies to produce at an elite level in the knowledge economy.
21 great ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time — prioritisation techniques, time management, and the discipline of tackling your hardest task first.
Escape the 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich — automation, outsourcing, lifestyle design, and the DEAL framework for redefining work and productivity.
Master hard skills, outsmart the competition, and accelerate your career — nine principles for aggressive, self-directed learning projects.
The power of passion and perseverance — why talent alone isn't enough, how grit predicts success, and practical strategies for cultivating resilience and long-term determination.
Follow them and people will follow you — the foundational laws of leadership from influence and navigation to sacrifice and legacy, with real-world examples.
Be a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity — caring personally while challenging directly, giving and receiving feedback, and building a culture of open communication.
The official guide to public speaking from the TED curator — finding your throughline, storytelling, explanation, persuasion, and the art of presenting ideas worth spreading.
Violate them at your own risk — the timeless laws of marketing from leadership and category to perception, focus, and the law of resources.
The six universal principles of persuasion — reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity — and how they shape decisions in policy, marketing, and everyday life.
A revolutionary way to influence and persuade — the art of capturing attention, priming audiences, and setting the stage before delivering your message.
The surprising truth about moving others — why everyone is in sales now, the new ABCs (attunement, buoyancy, clarity), and how to pitch, improvise, and serve.
Understanding and rebuilding social ecosystems damaged by the opioid crisis — policy frameworks, community interventions, and evidence-based recovery approaches.
A template for how large debt cycles work, built from 48 historical cases. Covers deflationary and inflationary spirals, beautiful deleveraging, and central bank policy levers across crises.
20 chapters on narrative approaches to climate action — entertainment-education, fiction, music, visual arts, journalism, food systems, and digital media for closing the knowing-acting gap.
How digital technologies — IoT, blockchain, AI — can accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Covers EU policy frameworks, barriers, and an Indian circular economy landscape analysis.
A practical methods note on measuring women and girls’ empowerment — covering WEAI, DHS modules, results frameworks, indicator design, and six common measurement biases with Indian field applications.
A methodological history of field experiments in economics — tracing the lab-extension and programme-evaluation strands, external validity debates, and capability-approach connections.
How public policy theory interacts with practice and teaching — covering the theory-practice gap, evidence-based policymaking, practitioner reflections, and lessons from Australia, New Zealand and India.
A comprehensive introduction to statistics using R — covering research design, descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, regression, ANOVA, and factor analysis with practical R code examples throughout.
A companion to USAID’s M&E frameworks — covering CLA Toolkit, Evaluation Toolkit, Monitoring Toolkit, MEL Plans, performance and impact evaluation guidance.
A companion to key social norms and social & behavior change resources — covering norm diagnostics, ego-network analysis, programme design for norm shift, and measurement approaches.
A comprehensive open-access volume on health financing — covering UHC frameworks, revenue raising, pooling, purchasing, the WHO cube, and global fund architecture with 19 chapters.
A practical playbook for city-level innovation teams — four phases from setting an ambitious mission (AIM) through prototyping, iterating, and sustaining innovation as business as usual.
A three-textbook companion covering qualitative research methods — epistemology, sampling, interviewing, coding, thematic analysis, and writing up qualitative findings. 21 chapters, open access.
A companion to Sengupta’s article on the value of randomised controlled trials in developing contexts — 7 case studies examining RCT design, ethics, and external validity across the Asia-Pacific.
A multi-source companion covering the research design workflow — literature review, formative research, mixed methods, survey design, and SBCC programme contexts.
A two-book companion on public speaking and presentation skills for researchers — storytelling techniques, slide design, audience engagement, and overcoming stage anxiety.
18 chapters on statistical methods for small samples — Bayesian approaches, multilevel modelling, SEM with limited data, power analysis, and practical solutions for development research with constrained sample sizes.
Two foundational texts on health inequality monitoring and the ethics of public health — WHO's data methodology (25 chapters) paired with Anand, Peter & Sen's philosophical framework (15 chapters). India applications throughout.
19 chapters following Wooldridge's sequence — simple and multiple regression, IV, panel data, time series — fully implemented in Python with NumPy, statsmodels, and linearmodels. India applications included.
16 chapters on 5 core mnemonic techniques — SEE principle, car method, body method, peg system, and journey method — with cognitive-science underpinnings and India-specific applications (Vedic recitation, exam preparation).
Core concepts in health economic evaluation — cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility, QALY/DALY methodology, discounting, sensitivity analysis, and decision modelling for health-technology assessment.
Book Companions are interactive, chapter-by-chapter reading guides for essential development texts. They are not summaries — they are designed for practitioners who want to understand, question, and apply the ideas, not just skim them.
All Book Companions are part of ImpactMojo's free Specials collection, alongside games, labs, and interactive tools.
