Welcome, Karibu sana, inikwani dehina met’ahi Spring 2019 EASST Visiting Fellows
CEGA’s East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative invests in the leadership and capacity of the “next generation” of East African researchers through long-term engagement with scholars. Fellows audit courses, work with faculty and PhD student mentors, give seminar presentations, network, and more. To date, CEGA has hosted 24 EASST fellows at the University of California, Berkeley (we host 2–3 fellows each semester).
CEGA is excited to welcome three new East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) visiting fellows to UC Berkeley this spring: Tewodros Tesemma (Ethiopia), Associate Researcher at the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) and PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Gothenburg; Muthoni Ng’ang’a (Kenya),lecturer at Strathmore and Kenyatta University in Kenya and a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Nairobi; and Dr. Grace Mhalu (Tanzania), research scientist at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania who holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute.
Over the course of the semester, Tewodros, Muthoni, and Grace will work collaboratively with CEGA faculty and PhD partners to develop their respective research proposals, described below (note that research proposals are subject to change).
“The Effect of Labeling and Modern Saving Tools in Increasing Savings: Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia”
EASST Investigator: Tewodros Tesemma
CEGA Investigator(s): Pascaline Dupas and Madeline Duhon
In Ethiopia, banks have made several products available to improve individuals’ saving habits. One product is minor’s accounts, which allows parents to save for their children’s education and health expenses — though take up of this product is generally low. Tesemma will design a randomized control trial (RCT) to investigate whether information campaigns and access to subsidized automated transfers between the parent’s salary and minor’s account can increase product adoption and improve savings. The RCT will be conducted among government employees with regular income paid directly into their salary accounts.
“Effects of Agricultural Technology Adoption among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya.”
EASST Investigator: Muthoni Ng’ang’a
CEGA Investigator(s): Ethan Ligon and Carly Trachtman
Agriculture represents the largest share of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product and is critical to the country’s economy. Despite its importance, productivity in the agriculture sector has been declining. Cassava, an indigenous crop and maize substitute, has been underutilized by farmers (especially female farmers) due to lack of awareness of improved varieties with higher yields than traditional varieties. Ng’ang’a plans to use an RCT to assess the impact of a program that matches female farmers who have been trained by a local agricultural NGO (specializing in cassava) with female farmers from their local communities. She will measure adoption of the improved cassava varieties as well as the welfare of households where farming decisions are mostly made by female members, hypothesizing that information diffusion will be higher if women are the ones sharing the information.
“Impact of an instructional video for production of diagnostic sputum for tuberculosis case detection, among presumptive Tuberculosis (TB) cases in Tanzania.”
EASST Investigator: Grace Mhalu
CEGA Investigator(s): Marcella Alsan and Adrienne Mocello
Tanzania is among 30 countries in the world with high TB burden. The National TB Prevalence survey indicates that case detection rate of infectious TB might be as low as 50%, possibly due to poor knowledge of sputum production among patients. Unlike saliva, which is produced in the mouth, sputum is a mucousy substance which originates in the respiratory tract and requires steps such as a deep cough to properly produce. The sputum instruction methods are crucial, as the performance of laboratory testing to detect the bacterium that causes TB in humans largely depends on the quality of sputum samples collected. Mhalu will use an RCT to study the impact of instructional videos on sputum production and submission.
If you are interested in meeting with one of our Spring 2019 EASST fellows, please email EASST Program Associate Chelsea Downs (cdowns@berkeley.edu).
