-
Project
Misallocation or mismeasurement? Collecting new panel data to improve production function estimation
SMEs tend to show substantial differences in productivity even within narrow industries and geographical regions. In order to design effective industrial policies, it is important to quantify such differences in the productivity of SMEs, identify what constraints drive these differences, and to understand what are the benefits of reducing them through external policy...
-
Project
Reducing comparison frictions in the Ugandan credit market
Many first-time borrowers tend to find out about loans exclusively from providers — unaware of the total cost. Financial institutions obscure prices especially for new and naive consumers to maximise profits (Atuhumuza et al. 2020), preventing many consumers from making well-informed borrowing decisions. Therefore, credit markets are characterised by substantial price...
-
Project
How gender and migrant status affects collective action among street vendors
Cities across sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing an influx of migration from rural regions and abroad, creating challenges for sustainable growth and development. Ensuring the economic and social incorporation of these foreign or rural migrants into the urban political economy is a critical challenge. While migrants face intense market competition (livelihood) in some...
-
Project
Integrated resilient development in a coastal city: The case of Accra
The floodwater in Accra, the capital of Ghana, accumulated dramatically in 2015 due to the densification of its drainage networks, waste dumping, and the missing discharge capacity throughout the Odaw Basin. After the floods in 2015, a CityStrength Diagnostic was performed by engaging a wide range of stakeholders and concluded that a programme to improve overall drainage...
-
Project
The origins of distorted beliefs: Implications for unemployment and labour market interventions
Distorted beliefs in job search are a barrier to increased formalisation of the economy. Understanding such biases can help design interventions to make the labour market more efficient, inclusive, and effective. This project will measure job-seekers’ beliefs about their prospects in the labour market.
-
Project
Increasing vaccine access and uptake in Lahore
Lahore has been the main urban centre driving the COVID-19 case count in Punjab, Pakistan. Less than 40% of its population has received the first dose and it is in this context that Lahore District Administration has requested assistance in planning and delivering an efficient data-driven vaccination drive. This project has two aims: To develop a community and/or...
-
Project
Pilots on nano commodity exchanges
Firms operating in environments with erratic supplies of agricultural commodities face high implicit transaction costs in operations. Ghana opened the first full-service commodity exchange in West Africa in late 2018. We have begun to look into the impact of the Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX) on farmers, traders, and firms in the agricultural marketing ecosystem. In...
-
Project
Data and research as key enablers for city policy: A case study of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town is widely recognised as a city that is making large strides in advancing the use of data and research in critical policy decisions including planning, implementation, and service delivery. This project seeks to document the use of data and evidence in policymaking in Cape Town over the past 20 years, since the Metro became a Unicity in 2000. The...
-
Project
Digitalisation of local revenues in Malawi’s cities
Malawi is still at the beginning of its urbanisation trajectory. As growth takes place and urbanisation increases, critical investments in infrastructure and service delivery will be required to ensure urban centres become engines of prosperity rather than sites of overcrowding and congestion. These investments require revenues, and recent reforms to improve local revenue...
-
Project
Inclusive international trade: Assisting female-led firms in export development
While many lower- and middle-income countries aim to grow and diversify their exports, enabling small and medium sized firms to export and enter global value chains remains a key challenge. This is particularly true for female-led firms, which only compose 5-10% of all firms in the MENA region and overall less than 20% in other parts of the Global South. So far, there is...
Project
Female politicians and economic growth: Evidence from state elections in India
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS7YtrR2yjU&feature=emb_logo The project studies close elections between men and women for election to India's state legislative assemblies. It finds significantly higher growth in economic activity in constituencies that elect women. Given average GDP growth in India of about 7% per year (during the study period), the researchers...