Jenny Aker
ExpertiseInformation Technology, Markets, Food Crises, Environmental Degradation, Conflict, Sahel EducationPhD in Agricultural Economics, University of California-Berkeley MS in Agricultural Economics, University of California-Berkeley Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy, Fletcher School at Tufts University Bachelor of Arts, Duke University BackgroundJenny Aker is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Center for Global Development. She holds a PhD and Masters of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of California-Berkeley, and a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Jenny has worked extensively in Central, North and West Africa, serving as the Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and as a researcher at the University of Hassan-II in Morocco. Jenny’s research uses field work and field experiments to better understand real-world development problems and to link research with policy and implementation. Jenny’s current research focuses on three main areas. The first assesses the impact of information technology on development outcomes, namely farmers’ and traders’ welfare, market performance, labor outcomes and literacy rates. She has assessed the impact of cell phone coverage on grain price dispersion and traders’ behavior in Niger, finding that cell phones are associated with a decrease in price dispersion across markets. Jenny is currently collaborating with several NGOs on multi-arm randomized experiments using cell phones in Ghana, Niger and Uganda. Her second area of research involves assessing the impact of climate change on farmer-herder conflicts in the Sahel, with a particular focus on Mali and Darfur (Sudan). Finally, Jenny is also working on understanding the linkages between agro-food markets and food crises in the Sahel. In September 2009, Jenny will join Tufts University as an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Non-CGD Publications |
