Jenny C Aker
Biographic Data
| ID | 1233690 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jenny C Aker |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jenny C |
| FAMILY NAME | Aker |
| SIGNATURE | AKER J C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Tufts University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 133 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Harvesting the Rain
Many agricultural and environmental technologies require upfront investments. This may deter adoption, particularly in settings characterized by information, liquidity, and credit constraints. We test for these barriers to the adoption of an agricultural technique that helps address land degradation in Niger. We find little evidence that liquidity or credit constraints deter adoption: instead, providing farmers with training increases the share o…
Yellow Pages
We study the impact of a low-cost intervention to reduce information frictions in rural markets by randomly assigning small and medium enterprises in Tanzania to be listed in a telephone directory. The listed firms expand their communication networks, increase sales and make greater use of mobile money, with positive spillovers to firms in the same village. Estimated effects are larger and more statistically precise for firms that are more produc…
Making sense of the shapes
Paying for Digital Information
With the widespread growth of mobile phone coverage and adoption over the past decade, there has been considerable enthusiasm over the potential for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide a low-cost approach for farmers to overcome information constraints in agricultural initiatives. The commercial viability of ICTs relies on effective demand for these services. This paper assesses farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a dig…
Can ABC Lead to Sustained 123? The Medium-Term Effects of a Technology-Enhanced Adult Education Program
Can information technology preserve the short-term learning gains associated with adult education programs? This study estimates the medium-term impacts of a mobile phone module (Project ABC) that was added to a standard adult education curriculum and for which there were significant short-term impacts on educational outcomes. Two years after the end of the program, students in ABC villages had reading scores that were significantly higher than t…
Just a bit of cushion
Contributions of experimental approaches to development and poverty alleviation
Is Information Power? Using Mobile Phones and Free Newspapers during an Election in Mozambique
African elections often reveal low levels of political accountability. We assess different forms of voter education during an election in Mozambique. Three interventions providing information to voters and calling for their participation were randomized: an information campaign using SMS, an SMS hotline for electoral misconduct, and the distribution of a free newspaper. To measure impact, we look at official electoral results, reports by electora…
Payment Mechanisms and Antipoverty Programs
Cash transfers have become an increasingly important component of social protection policies in both developed and developing countries. While such programs are often implemented electronically in developed countries, in many developing countries with weak financial infrastructure, such transfers are distributed manually, resulting in significant costs to program recipients and the public sector alike. The introduction of mobile money systems in …
Can mobile phones improve agricultural outcomes? Evidence from a randomized experiment in Niger
Borders, ethnicity and trade
Mobile Phones
Dial “A” for agriculture
Agriculture can serve as an important engine for economic growth in developing countries, yet yields in these countries have lagged far behind those in developed countries for decades. One potential mechanism for increasing yields is the use of improved agricultural technologies, such as fertilizers, seeds, and cropping techniques. Public sector programs have attempted to overcome information-related barriers to technological adoption by providin…
Information from Markets Near and Far
Price dispersion across markets is common in developing countries. Using novel market and trader-level data, this paper provides estimates of the impact of mobile phones on price dispersion across grain markets in Niger. The introduction of mobile phone service between 2001 and 2006 explains a 10 to 16 percent reduction in grain price dispersion. The effect is stronger for market pairs with higher transport costs. (JEL O13, O33, Q11, Q13)
Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa
Access to and use of mobile telephony in sub-Saharan Africa has increased dramatically over the past decade. Mobile telephony has brought new possibilities to the continent. Across urban-rural and rich-poor divides, mobile phones connect individuals to individuals, information, markets, and services. These effects can be particularly dramatic in rural Africa, where in many places mobile phones have represented the first modern telecommunications …
Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa
Access to and use of mobile telephony in sub-Saharan Africa has increased dramatically over the past decade. Mobile telephony has brought new possibilities to the continent. Across urban-rural and rich-poor divides, mobile phones connect individuals to individuals, information, markets, and services. These effects can be particularly dramatic in rural Africa, where in many places mobile phones have represented the first modern telecommunications …
Can mobile phones improve agricultural outcomes? Evidence from a randomized experiment in Niger
Payment Mechanisms and Antipoverty Programs
Cash transfers have become an increasingly important component of social protection policies in both developed and developing countries. While such programs are often implemented electronically in developed countries, in many developing countries with weak financial infrastructure, such transfers are distributed manually, resulting in significant costs to program recipients and the public sector alike. The introduction of mobile money systems in …
Borders, ethnicity and trade
Just a bit of cushion
Mobile Phones
Yellow Pages
We study the impact of a low-cost intervention to reduce information frictions in rural markets by randomly assigning small and medium enterprises in Tanzania to be listed in a telephone directory. The listed firms expand their communication networks, increase sales and make greater use of mobile money, with positive spillovers to firms in the same village. Estimated effects are larger and more statistically precise for firms that are more produc…
Paying for Digital Information
With the widespread growth of mobile phone coverage and adoption over the past decade, there has been considerable enthusiasm over the potential for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide a low-cost approach for farmers to overcome information constraints in agricultural initiatives. The commercial viability of ICTs relies on effective demand for these services. This paper assesses farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a dig…
Can ABC Lead to Sustained 123? The Medium-Term Effects of a Technology-Enhanced Adult Education Program
Can information technology preserve the short-term learning gains associated with adult education programs? This study estimates the medium-term impacts of a mobile phone module (Project ABC) that was added to a standard adult education curriculum and for which there were significant short-term impacts on educational outcomes. Two years after the end of the program, students in ABC villages had reading scores that were significantly higher than t…
Contributions of experimental approaches to development and poverty alleviation
Information from Markets Near and Far
Price dispersion across markets is common in developing countries. Using novel market and trader-level data, this paper provides estimates of the impact of mobile phones on price dispersion across grain markets in Niger. The introduction of mobile phone service between 2001 and 2006 explains a 10 to 16 percent reduction in grain price dispersion. The effect is stronger for market pairs with higher transport costs. (JEL O13, O33, Q11, Q13)
Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa
Access to and use of mobile telephony in sub-Saharan Africa has increased dramatically over the past decade. Mobile telephony has brought new possibilities to the continent. Across urban-rural and rich-poor divides, mobile phones connect individuals to individuals, information, markets, and services. These effects can be particularly dramatic in rural Africa, where in many places mobile phones have represented the first modern telecommunications …
Dial “A” for agriculture
Agriculture can serve as an important engine for economic growth in developing countries, yet yields in these countries have lagged far behind those in developed countries for decades. One potential mechanism for increasing yields is the use of improved agricultural technologies, such as fertilizers, seeds, and cropping techniques. Public sector programs have attempted to overcome information-related barriers to technological adoption by providin…
Borders, ethnicity and trade
Mobile Phones
Can mobile phones improve agricultural outcomes? Evidence from a randomized experiment in Niger
Payment Mechanisms and Antipoverty Programs
Cash transfers have become an increasingly important component of social protection policies in both developed and developing countries. While such programs are often implemented electronically in developed countries, in many developing countries with weak financial infrastructure, such transfers are distributed manually, resulting in significant costs to program recipients and the public sector alike. The introduction of mobile money systems in …
Is Information Power? Using Mobile Phones and Free Newspapers during an Election in Mozambique
African elections often reveal low levels of political accountability. We assess different forms of voter education during an election in Mozambique. Three interventions providing information to voters and calling for their participation were randomized: an information campaign using SMS, an SMS hotline for electoral misconduct, and the distribution of a free newspaper. To measure impact, we look at official electoral results, reports by electora…
Just a bit of cushion
Contributions of experimental approaches to development and poverty alleviation
Can ABC Lead to Sustained 123? The Medium-Term Effects of a Technology-Enhanced Adult Education Program
Can information technology preserve the short-term learning gains associated with adult education programs? This study estimates the medium-term impacts of a mobile phone module (Project ABC) that was added to a standard adult education curriculum and for which there were significant short-term impacts on educational outcomes. Two years after the end of the program, students in ABC villages had reading scores that were significantly higher than t…
Paying for Digital Information
With the widespread growth of mobile phone coverage and adoption over the past decade, there has been considerable enthusiasm over the potential for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide a low-cost approach for farmers to overcome information constraints in agricultural initiatives. The commercial viability of ICTs relies on effective demand for these services. This paper assesses farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a dig…
Making sense of the shapes
Harvesting the Rain
Many agricultural and environmental technologies require upfront investments. This may deter adoption, particularly in settings characterized by information, liquidity, and credit constraints. We test for these barriers to the adoption of an agricultural technique that helps address land degradation in Niger. We find little evidence that liquidity or credit constraints deter adoption: instead, providing farmers with training increases the share o…
Yellow Pages
We study the impact of a low-cost intervention to reduce information frictions in rural markets by randomly assigning small and medium enterprises in Tanzania to be listed in a telephone directory. The listed firms expand their communication networks, increase sales and make greater use of mobile money, with positive spillovers to firms in the same village. Estimated effects are larger and more statistically precise for firms that are more produc…
Business (12 works) · Economics (12 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · ICT Impact and Policies (7 works) · Agriculture (6 works) · Economic growth (6 works) · Mobile phone (6 works) · Telecommunications (6 works) · Political science (5 works) · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare (5 works)