CSAE Research Podcasts

Oxford University
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CSAE Research Podcasts

A series of conversations between researchers and collaborators about projects taking place at the Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford.

  1. SEP 26

    Cash Transfers and Micro-Enterprise Performance in a Refugee Camp in Kenya

    Researchers discuss the business and price effects of a cash transfer programme delivered to 400,000 refugees in Kenya each month in the form of digital money for buying food at licensed shops. There is mounting empirical evidence around the positive and persistent effects of cash-based assistance on direct recipients but there is limited research on the indirect effects of cash-based assistance on local businesses. This project examines the business and price effects of a cash transfer programme delivered to 400,000 refugees in Kenya. The programme had large impacts on prices and businesses, which can be explained by the presence of market imperfections in the camp. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    37 min

  2. SEP 11

    Locked Down and Locked Out: Repurposing Social Assistance in South Africa

    Researchers examine how an established social assistance system - not originally designed to support informal workers - can be re-purposed to provide emergency relief to support workers and their household in South Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a particular challenge to countries with high levels of labour market informality. Informal workers and their households were especially vulnerable to the negative economic consequences of the pandemic and associated lockdown measures, while the very fact of their informality made it difficult for governments to quickly provide targeted economic relief. Using South Africa as a case study, this project examines how an established social assistance system - not originally designed to support informal workers - can be re-purposed to provide emergency relief to these workers and their households. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    41 min

  3. AUG 27

    General Equilibrium Effects of Cash Transfers in Kenya (Frisch Medal 2024 Winner)

    Winner of the Frisch Medal 2024, this project examines the impact of a one-time cash transfers to over 10,500 poor households across villages in rural Kenya, on the individual households but also the community at large. How large economic stimuli generate individual and aggregate responses is a central question in economics but has not been studied experimentally. Working with the NGO GiveDirectly, this project examined the impact of a one-time cash transfers of about USD 1000 to over 10,500 poor households across 653 randomised villages in rural Kenya, on the individual households but also the community at large. The research paper produced from this project was published in Econometrica and won the Frisch Medal Award 2024. Speakers: Dennis Egger, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Oxford, and Stefan Dercon, CSAE Director and Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and the Department of Economics, University of Oxford.

    41 min

  4. FEB 22

    An Adaptive Targeted Field Experiment: Job Search Assistance for Refugees in Jordan

    How can different kinds of policy help refugees and other displaced populations find work? This project focuses on three interventions designed to improve formal employment outcomes for Syrian refugees and local jobseekers in Jordan. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    31 min

  5. 11/28/2023

    Cash Transfer Grants in South Africa during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Work Behind the ESRC Outstanding Public Policy Impact Award 2023

    The CSAE's Kate Orkin has won the ESRC award for Outstanding Public Policy Impact 2023. Stefan Dercon talks to Kate about the work behind the cash grant programme in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic that reached an extra 26.2 million people. Stefan Dercon is the CSAE Director and Professor of Economic Policy, University of Oxford, and Kate Orkin is the Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, University of Oxford.

    24 min

  6. 08/30/2023

    AI and Services-led Growth: Evidence from Indian Job Adverts

    Online job adverts show that the demand for AI related skills has grown rapidly in countries around the world since 2015. This project examines the demand for AI skills in India's service sector, using a new dataset of online job adverts. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    15 min

  7. 06/02/2023

    Anticipatory Cash Transfers in Climate Disaster Response

    Billions of dollars are spent annually on humanitarian support to households in crisis. Researchers discuss a large-scale evaluation that tests the impact of anticipatory cash transfers in response to floods in Bangladesh. Humanitarian workers carry out incredible lifesaving work every day on the front line of crisis response to assist those in the greatest need. Yet repeatedly, despite the fact that billions of dollars are spent annually on humanitarian support to households in crisis, there is very limited evidence on the impact of this support. This project is one of the first large-scale evaluations that rigorously tests the impact of humanitarian cash transfers in response to a sudden extreme weather event, and the importance of being timely for an impactful response. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    24 min

  8. 05/11/2023

    Building Resilient Education Systems: Evidence from Large Scale Randomised Trials in Five Countries

    Education systems need to withstand shocks that routinely close schools. Researchers discuss results from randomised trials evaluating the provision of education in emergency settings across 5 countries. Shocks such as weather, natural disasters, disease, and conflict frequently disrupt schooling. Education systems need to build resilience and be able to continue to provide education during these shocks. Following on from Youth Impact's work on distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic in Botswana, researchers ask would this approach scale to new settings, with government, and other education in emergencies? Focusing on a method called 'connectEd', a phone call tutorial programme used to deliver high quality education through mobile phone calls, this project replicated and scaled the work from Botswana in five randomised controlled trials in India, Nepal, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

    36 min
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About

A series of conversations between researchers and collaborators about projects taking place at the Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford.

Information

  • Creator
    Oxford University
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Oxford University
  • Show Website
    CSAE Research Podcasts

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