Kenya

Spatial Inequality and Informality in Kenya’s Firm Network

The spatial configuration of domestic supply chains plays a crucial role in the transmission of shocks.

Working Paper
24 Apr 2025

What Reduces Frictions in Trade Finance? The Role of Banks, Relationships, and Policy

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.

Research Note
1 Apr 2025

Blackouts and green energy adoption: Evidence from Kenya

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).

Research Note
4 Feb 2025

Monitoring in Small Firms: Experimental Evidence from Kenyan Public Transit

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.

Journal Article
14 Jan 2025

Enabling electric vehicle adoption with innovative financing and infrastructure

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.

Research Project
29 Oct 2024

Bridging the Gender Gap in Credit Access by Small Businesses in Low-Income Countries: The Transformative Impact of Digital Lending

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.

Research Project
28 Oct 2024

The Economic Value of Improved Electricity Reliability

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.

Research Project
28 Oct 2024

Blackouts and green energy adoption: Evidence from Kenya

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.

Research Project
28 Oct 2024

From Micro to Macro in an Equilibrium Diffusion Model

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.

Working Paper
15 Apr 2024

Money or Power? Choosing Covid-19 aid in Kenya

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.

Journal Article
18 Jan 2024

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