Remembering Ravi

Later in the day, during the Agriculture and Environment panel, EASST Fellow and World Bank Economist Anthony Mveyange made a compelling case in his presentation “Climate Variability and Infant Mortality: Evidence from the Developing World” for exploring both direct and indirect effects of climate change on health outcomes. Mveyange detailed how he and his coauthors found that temperature shocks increase the risks of both neo-natal and post-natal infant deaths. These results have several policy implications, including the importance of strengthening health delivery systems and public health information systems, as well as utilizing heat early warning systems.

Also presenting in the Agriculture and the Environment segment, CEGA Faculty Director and UC Berkeley Economics Professor Ted Miguel revealed experimental evidence on the “Demand for Costs of Rural Electrification” in Kenya. Miguel and his co-authors studied why rates of rural electrification in Kenya are so low despite significant government investments in grid infrastructure by observing how demand for electrification changes at different price points. Miguel’s research revealed that (at least in the short –term), the costs of rural electrification in rural Kenya are much higher than the demand, and that poor households will not find rural electrification transformational to their overall well-being.

In the question and answer period, members of the audience revealed their surprise at these findings, which are counterintuitive to many-- to which Miguel replied “this is why we need research!” It is important not to just base policies on what we think is best for a certain group of people—we need to test these assumptions. To conclude the day, the policy panel brought tangible insights on how to increase evidence based decision-making in the East African policy context. Alemayehu Seyoum Tafesse (Senior Researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute, Country Director of the International Growth Center in Ethiopia, and President of the Ethiopian Economics Association) discussed three major constraints to research translating into policy: capacity of policymakers’ time and resources to take research into account, institutional influence of an individual policy maker, and subject-matter expertise to understand the results of research. In addition to these common barriers, he pointed out that researchers often ignore the incentives and constraints of policy makers, which may or may not be aligned with researcher’s evidence. He emphasized that "policy impact shouldn't be an afterthought to research-- it should be a part of the design." Building off of Tafesse’s answer, Kizito Omala stated that what often blocks policy makers from using evidence is the complexity of the research. Besides simplifying their findings, Omala pointed out that it would be helpful if researchers could sit in on policy makers’ meetings, to understand what they are grappling with and what they truly need. Picture Awoke Temesgen (IHME, EPHI), Kizito Omala (EASST Fellow, Makerere University), Ketki Sheth (UC Merced), Lilian Lehmann (IDinsight), Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse (IFPRI, EEA, IGC)

Overall, it was a successful convening of people interested in the social and economic welfare of East Africa. Special thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK Government for their kind sponsorship of this conference. Special thank you also to Rajiv and Parbatee Ramrattan, who generously donated funding for East African Researchers in honour of their son Ravi Ramrattan, who was dedicated to research on poverty and economics in East Africa and who tragically passed away in the Westgate attack of 2013. Please click here to donate to his cause. 0 Comments Your comment will be posted after it is approved. LEAVE A REPLY.”