The African continent is often envisioned as the future industrial hub of the planet. However, it accounts for no more than 3% of total global trade. A key factor behind this performance is the limited access to financial services.
Frequent power outages and costly diesel generators hinder operations, emphasising the need for decentralised solutions like solar power. Despite its benefits, solar is under-adopted due to credit constraints and limited willingness-to-pay (WTP).
Small firms struggle to grow beyond a few employees. We introduce monitoring devices into commuter minibuses in Kenya and randomize which minibus owners have access to the data using a novel mobile app.
This project proposes a field experiment in which the researchers create variation in financial contract form and access to charging infrastructure to evaluate the barriers to electric two-wheelers adoption in Kenya.
This project investigates the impact of digital lending on reducing the gender gap in the credit markets and the performance of small businesses in Kisumu City, Kenya.
This project assesses medium-term economic impacts of improved electricity reliability by leveraging persistent discontinuities in electricity reliability across nearby areas in Kenya that are serviced by different feeder lines.
This project employs a randomised controlled trial and the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak mechanism to examine the impact of a solar light subsidy on small firm owners' firm and household outcomes with different exposure to blackout risks in Nakuru, Kenya.
We quantify the benefits of better firm-to-firm matching in an aggregate diffusion model where individuals reap profitable knowledge from others in the economy.
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, 186 countries implemented direct cash transfers to households, and 181 introduced in-kind programs that lowered the cost of utilities such as electricity, water, transport, and mobile money.
