Informal recycling of used lead acid batteries causes tremendous environmental damage, especially to children’s physical and mental developments in Bangladesh. The problem is further exacerbated as lead extracted from the process is used to produce low-quality batteries that require frequent replacements. We study public policy interventions that give incentives to extend battery lives and promote formal recycling under strong environment production, to reduce the circulation of informally-recycled lead.

We are designing a novel business model to extend the life of lead acid batteries used in electric three wheelers in Bangladesh. Through a randomized control trial, we are testing the impact of the business model on battery life and performance, recycling rate and lead emissions, energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and income and profit of battery users. The business model can be generalized to other durable goods and geographies where products fail fast because of market inefficiencies.

The initial landing location of a refugee has implications on their long-term success. We propose two new dynamic algorithms to match refugees to localities within a host country. The performance of the proposed methods is illustrated on real US refugee resettlement data. The first algorithm maximizes the average employment level, and is currently deployed in a pilot in Switzerland. The second algorithm balances employment with the desire for an even allocation to the localities over time.