Kenya

This project investigates the idea that microfinance lending staff hired from outside the borrowing communities are not able to identify borrowers with 'high-growth potential' as reliably as the direct peers of the borrowers. 

As prices for staple foods fluctuate seasonally, there is room for arbitrage by entrepeneurs. This project investigates potential barriers to arbitrage, such as missing credit markets, government policies, high costs, or entrepreneurial attitudes to develop policy insights into removing these barriers. 

By implementing two pilot studies on the use of communications technologies in a large agribusiness company in Kenya, the researchers examined the impact of innovations in management information systems on firm performance.

This project undertakes the first ever randomized evaluation of micro-franchising in Kenya, a policy intervention that connects unemployed young women with businesses through multi-person franchises.

This case study of the cross-border investment of female entrepreneurs in the East African Community region aims to assess the impact of regional integration on the expansion of female-run enterprises and identify constraints on the growth of these enterprises.