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Publication - Policy Brief
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in low- and middle-income countries and recommendations to increase uptake
This study, published in Nature Medicine, analyses willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 from surveys covering 10 low- and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. Willingness to vaccinate is considerably higher in these low- and middle-income countries (80% of respondents) than in the United States (65%) and Russia (30%). The results...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Tracking prices during COVID-19 in Kenya and Uganda
This project serves as a proof of concept exploring whether it is possible to collect high-quality, high-frequency price data at scale through a crowd-sourcing approach. We collected over 39,000 price quotes of essential food items in Kenya and Uganda between April 2020 and mid-March 2021, featuring a wide geographic coverage. The findings suggest that prices were...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Saas, bahu, and ASHA: Information diffusion and behavioural change in rural Bihar
Our study shows that Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers have enhanced awareness of maternal and child health issues, leading to substantial behavioural change.
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Publication - Policy Brief
Ensuring food security during pandemics: Lessons from the COVID-19 lockdown in Bihar
The lockdown to contain COVID-19 was expected to threaten food security and lead to a deterioration of nutritional status, particularly of women and children. A two-part study of six districts in Bihar compared dietary practices of women and their youngest child between pre-lockdown and lockdown periods. It found a decline in dietary practices among women and that...
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Publication - Project Report
Tracking price dynamics during a pandemic in Kenya and Uganda
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Publication - Project Report
Herself and her children: How worse off are they? Impact of COVID-19 in rural Bihar
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Publication - Policy Brief
Harnessing the power of electronic fiscal devices to increase VAT revenue in Zambia
Compliance by formal firms with consumption taxes such as Value Added Tax (VAT) remains low in Zambia. Substantial VAT evasion happens at the point of retail sales, translating into lower VAT remittances to the treasury. The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has implemented various policy tools targeted at this type of tax evasion. One key policy intervention was the...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Does foreign employment in modern farms improve farming at home?
This research examines to what extent a unique training program for Nepali farmers in Israel leads them to practice improved agriculture upon their return home. It accompanies a program that trains thousands of farmers from over 30 developing countries in Israel every year. Researchers found that participants in the program are more likely to engage in farming...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Using network theory to promote adoption of new agricultural technologies in Sierra Leone
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) in Sierra Leone has identified livestock production as the second most important activity in their 5-year strategic plan and recognizes the central importance of maize as a feed crop for livestock. This policy brief suggests that to reap the desired benefits from any policy intervention, a value chain approach to...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Prioritising agricultural research and development for economic growth in Rwanda
The Rwandan government recognizes agriculture's importance towards achieving its medium-term development objectives. Successive strategic plans since PSTA-1 (2007) have included substantial increases in total allocations to agriculture. Officials face difficult decisions allocating limited resources across sectors and activities. In a high- performance context,...
Publication - Policy paper
Scaling energy investments in fragile states
Expanding energy access in fragile contexts is critical for these settings to recover from COVID-19 and escape fragility. This policy paper accompanies the call to action issued by the Council on State Fragility and g7+ on ‘Powering up energy investments in fragile states’, which calls for a new approach for scaling energy access in fragile contexts.