The Conference on Data-Driven Development in Africa is now in its fourth year. I run the conference with Abdul Shifa (Syracuse) and Dozie Okoye (Dalhousie), with assistance from Colette Nyirakamana (McMaster).
The goal of the conference is to improve research on African political and economic development by contributing to the collection and analysis of high-quality data. In particular, we seek papers that answer substantive questions using large, multi-level, or non-traditional datasets, or which directly tackle issues such as missingness and measurement error. With the exception of experimental evaluations of protocols intended to improve data quality (e.g. question wording effects), experiments are not the focus of the conference.
The conference is a workshop format, with each presenter’s time devoted entirely to group discussion of the paper. All participants are expected to read all papers in advance.
The conference is free to attend, but space is limited and all attendees must complete the application form. Travel assistance is available for students, and for scholars and development practitioners from African countries.
2019 Workshop
May 10-11
Hosted by the Dept. of Economics and International Development, Dalhousie University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Daniel K. Banini (University of Central Florida). “Security Sector Corruption and Military Effectiveness: The Influence of Corruption on Countermeasures against Boko Haram in Nigeria”
- Joshua Wafula (World Agroforestry Centre). “Scientific Advice and Foresight in Complex Systems: Lessons from Smallholder Fertiliser Subsidy Programme in Kakamega County, Kenya”
- Lisa Jené (Claremont Graduate University). “Climate Change, Urbanization, and Regimes in Sub-Saharan Africa”
- Solomon Abayomi Olakojo (University of Ibadan). “Corruption and Public Services Delivery: Evidence from Non-Traditional Datasets in Nigeria”
- Gina Yannitell Reinhardt (University of Essex). “Incentivizing Resilient, Sustainable Development: What can Computerized Text Analysis Reveal?”
- Wilfried Youmbi (University of Ottawa) and Kingsley Agomor (GIMPA). “Religious Institutions and Voting Behavior: Evidence from Africa”
- Michael Mbate (London School of Economics). “Power Sharing and Political Corruption: Evidence form Kenya
- Helen Beny (McMaster University). “Internet Blackouts: New Wave of Weaponry for Authoritarian Regimes to Maintain Fragile Peace. Case Studies: Ethiopia, Cameroon”
- Godfred O. Boateng (Harvard). “The Syndemic Effects of Food Insecurity, Water Insecurity, And HIV on Maternal Depression Among Kenyan Women”
2018 Workshop
May 18-19, 2018
Hosted by Jessica Steinberg at Indiana University’s Tobias Center
Bloomington, Indiana, US
- Samuel Adams (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration): “Renewable energy and environmental degradation: accounting for political economy dynamics”
- Sarah Brierley (Wash U): “Managing Transitions To Meritocracy in Clientelistic Democracies”
- Mark Buntaine (UC Santa Barbara): “Can Massive, High-Frequency, Hyper-Local Citizen Feedback Improve Public Services? A Field Experiment”
- Romain Ferrali (Princeton): “Peer effects and externalities in technology adoption: Evidence from community reporting in Uganda”
- Adam Harris (University College London): “Re-conceptualizing Ethnicity and its Effects on Development”
- Rasel Madaha (Sokoine University of Agriculture): “Budget Analysis and Tracking on GBV financing: The Case of Selected Government Ministries in Tanzania”
- Colette Nyirakamana (McMaster): “Raising Local Revenues”