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Bu-Yeol Kim

Seoul National University · Social Sciences

About the Lab

Professor Bu-Yeol Kim's research lab specializes in development economics with a focus on education interventions, community-driven development, and social protection programs in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The lab investigates how financial incentives, education support, and local institutional mechanisms influence individual behavior, economic rationality, and long-term development outcomes. Key research directions include randomized evaluations of cash transfer programs, microfinance initiatives, and health-related behavioral interventions such as male circumcision promotion in schools.

education economicscash transfer programscommunity-driven developmentbehavioral developmentrandomized controlled trials

Research Overview

Papers
74
Total Citations
411
Papers (5y)
30
Primary Field
Social Sciences

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
30total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
86total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|134 citations·2019
How does learner-centered education affect teacher self-efficacy? The case of project-based learning in Korea
Junghee Choi, Ju Ho Lee, Booyuel Kim
SJR Q1Teaching and Teacher Education
Developmental and Educational PsychologyPsychology
2
Article|83 citations·2018
The role of education interventions in improving economic rationality
Hyuncheol Bryant Kim, Syngjoo Choi, Booyuel Kim, Cristian Pop-Eleches
SJR Q1Science

Schooling rewards people with labor market returns and nonpecuniary benefits in other realms of life. However, there is no experimental evidence showing that education interventions improve individual economic rationality. We examine this hypothesis by studying a randomized 1-year financial support program for education in Malawi that reduced absence and dropout rates and increased scores on a qualification exam of female secondary school students. We measure economic rationality 4 years after t

AccountingBusiness, Management and Accounting
3
Article|12 citations·2021
Double-edged cohesion: Multidimensional impacts of community governance’s cohesion in community-driven development
Booyuel Kim, Junesoo Lee, Jongwoo Chung
SJR Q2Community Development

While often pursued as a desirable state for a society or community, group cohesion can be a double-edged sword. When it comes to Community-Driven Development (CDD), in which community members are expected to collaborate to ensure their co-prosperity, group cohesion would be a matter of not only “WHETHER or not it is needed” but also “WHEN/WHERE/HOW MUCH it is needed”. This study examines a rural CDD case implemented by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Myanmar Ministry

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
4
Article|6 citations·2024
Impact of microfinance on income generation: Evidence from a rural community‐driven development programme in Myanmar
Jongwoo Chung, Booyuel Kim
SJR Q2Journal of International DevelopmentOA

Abstract This paper evaluates the impact of a rural community‐driven development programme in Myanmar, which promoted village‐level microfinance for income generation. Utilizing a three‐round household survey consisting of 100 treatment and 50 comparison villages with approximately 8500 households per round, we employ difference‐in‐differences and two‐stage least squares estimations. Our analysis shows three key findings. First, the programme significantly increased access to microfinance, prima

Economics and EconometricsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance
5
Article|4 citations·2016
Short-Term Impacts of a Cash Transfer Program for Girls' Education on Academic Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Malawian Secondary Schools
Booyuel Kim
SSRN Electronic JournalOA

This paper evaluates a randomized controlled trial of a cash transfer program for the girls education by studying the shortterm academic achievement of 3,997 female students (9th–11th grade) across 124 classrooms in 33 public secondary schools in Malawi. Results show that students provided with one-year tuition support and monthly cash stipends are more likely to attend school and have better test scores in the short run. These students also regarded education more seriously with higher aspirati

Safety ResearchSocial Sciences
6
Article|3 citations·2016
Peer Effects in the Demand for Male Circumcision
Booyuel Kim, Hyuncheol Kim, Cristian Pop-Eleches
KDI Central Archives (Korea Development Institute)OA

This paper addresses two questions:\n\n1) How to promote demand for male circumcision in the context of secondary schools in Malawi and,\n\n2) What is the role of peer effects in the demand for male circumcision.\n\nWe randomly provided free male circumcision and transportation vouchers to male students across 33 public secondary schools near Lilongwe, Malawi. Using a two-step randomized design, we first assigned classrooms into three groups (100% Treatment, 50% Treatment, or No Treatment classr

SurgeryMedicine
7
Article|3 citations·2023
The effect of health facility births on newborn mortality in Malawi
Dawoon Jung, Booyuel Kim
SJR Q1International Journal of Health Economics and Management
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child HealthMedicine
8
Article|3 citations·2024
Spatial pattern of aid allocation in the early 21st century: Evidence from 38 sub-Saharan African countries
Huijoo Shon, Heerae Lee, Booyuel Kim
SJR Q1Papers of the Regional Science AssociationOA

This study analyzes the geographical patterns of aid in 38 sub-Saharan African countries from 2001 to 2020, focusing on the extent of spatial exclusion in aid allocation at the regional level. By incorporating the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) with aid expenditure data, we reveal that more impoverished regions, as defined by higher MPI scores, receive less aid compared to regions with high urbanicity. This pattern of exclusion shows significant spatial clusters within adjacent regions wit

DevelopmentSocial Sciences
9
Article|2 citations·2024
A framework for measuring electricity price literacy: Application to South Korea
Sungmin Lim, Heerae Lee, Syngjoo Choi, Jong Ho Hong, Booyuel Kim, Jinwook Shin
SJR Q1The Electricity Journal
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnergy
10
Article|2 citations·2018
Does the Small Business Program Benefit Self-Employed Workers? Evidence from Nicaragua
Booyuel Kim, Rony Rodriguez Ramirez, Hee-Seung Yang
SSRN Electronic JournalOA

Business and skills training programs have been a popular social policy option to promote self-employment and improve its performance in developing countries. We study the Small Business of the Family Economy (SBFE) program, a government business training program in Nicaragua designed to support self-employed workers in Nicaragua. With data from three survey rounds of the Nicaragua Living Standards Measurement Survey, we use a difference-in-differences strategy exploiting variation across time a

Organizational Behavior and Human Resource ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting
11
Article|1 citations·2025
Promoting willingness to pay for environmental charges in electricity tariff: Evidence from a randomized survey experiment
Sungmin Lim, Syngjoo Choi, Jong Ho Hong, Booyuel Kim, Heerae Lee, Jin-Wook Shin
SJR Q1Energy Economics
Management, Monitoring, Policy and LawEnvironmental Science
12
Article|1 citations·2023
Leaders need to be led: complementary followership in the context of community-driven development program
Junesoo Lee, Jongwoo Chung, Booyuel Kim
SJR Q2Asia Pacific Journal of Public AdministrationOA

Leadership has often been recognised as a major driver for successful team effectiveness. However, even weak leadership may lead to good team performance, and it is worth studying how weak leadership can be helped and complemented by followership. To investigate the paradoxical mechanism behind leadership – followership practices, we examined (1) multidimensional figures of leadership and followership using the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) and (2) the impacts of the combinations of

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
13
Article|1 citations·2019
Data for: How does Learner-Centered Education affect Teacher Self-Efficacy? The case of Project-Based Learning in South Korea
Booyuel Kim
Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS)OA

Data and codes for reproducing the results in the paper "How does Learner-Centered Education affect Teacher Self-Efficacy? The case of Project-Based Learning in South Korea."

Information SystemsComputer Science
14
Article|1 citations·2018
Male Circumcision, Peer Effects, and Risk Compensation
Booyuel Kim
2018 APPAM Fall Research Conference: <i>Evidence for Action: Encouraging Innovation and Improvement</i>
SurgeryMedicine
15
dataset|0 citations·2023
The Impact of Conditional Cash Transfers to Social Enterprises: Experimental Evidence from South Korea
Booyuel Kim, Syngjoo Choi, Sun Hyun Park
AEA Randomized Controlled Trials
Gender StudiesSocial Sciences

Research Areas

Sociology and Political ScienceInformation SystemsEconomics and EconometricsPediatrics, Perinatology and Child HealthSafety ResearchDevelopment

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