Mastercard Foundation
Platform Livelihoods Ghana (2021 - )
Co-lead of an inquiry into the nature of Ghanaian women’s work, including the extent to which it is empowering. With the increasing digitization of work, and more so in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about the content and impact of women’s work have gained more urgency. These questions underpin a study on young women’s experiences of platform work in Ghana, in partnership with Caribou Digital and with financial support from the Mastercard Foundation.
"Researching gender and platform livelihoods in Ghana"
"How can we make platform livelihoods better for young women, especially during and after covid-19"
Open Society Initiatives of Africa
Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policy for Post-COVID-19 Africa (GETSPA) (2020 - )
Co-Principal Investigator of a project that seeks to understand the framing and value propositions underpinning social policy; the interface between social and economic policies; and the socio-economic development outcomes of social policy, particularly in terms of gender, class and spatial inequalities. The initial project output will be the basis for constituency-building and advocacy and a programme of future research toward the realization of an agenda for transformative and gender equitable social policy for Africa’s development.
Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA)
Youth Policy Study (May 2017 – Dec 2019)
Co-leader of team of researchers in three countries (Ghana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe) analysing young people’s livelihood pathways in sites of agricultural commercialisation. Contributed to design of research, provided oversight of fieldwork, and contributed to written outputs.
"Hard work and hazard: young people and agricultural commercialization in Africa", Journal of Rural Studies (2020)
ISSER and Boston University
National Service and Beyond
Co-investigator in a study of tertiary graduates as they transit from National Service to the labour market. The goal is to collect information on the education, training, and work experience of young adults in order to understand the employment issues facing today’s youth. About 2,000 tertiary graduates are participating in this study. Papers have been written, presented in seminars and conferences, and submitted publication.
"Self-employment prospects among graduates in Ghana: does gender make a difference?" Development Policy Review (2021)
"Skills or credentials: comparing the perspectives of degree- and non-degree-holding Ghanaian graduates on the value of higher education", African Journal of Higher Education (2020)
United Nations Economic Commission on Africa (UNECA)
Situation Analysis of Youth in Africa and Development of Policy Toolbox (2014-2016)
Lead consultant for a project to respond to the need for African governments to formulate inclusive and sustainable development policies to promote the well-being of youth. Co-authored an analytical report on the situation of youth in Africa, and have developed a toolbox of best policy practices on youth for African governments.
The Rockefeller Foundation
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in Collective Action Movements in Africa (2014—2016)
Principal investigator for a study on monitoring and evaluating collective action movements. Lead-authored analytical paper that was a basis for three workshops (in Johannesburg and Tamale) to validate paper and subsequently to train activists and evaluators on how to evaluate collective action.
British Council-Ghana
Roles, Representations and Perceptions of Women in Contemporary Ghanaian Society (Jan-Mar 2016)
Lead consultant for a nine-member team of researchers that produced a report on the situation of women in contemporary Ghana, based on desk review and primary data collection.
"Roles, representations and perceptions of women in contemporary Ghana" (2016)
World Bank and Government of Ghana
Beneficiary Assessment of the GPBOA Project: Solar PV Systems for the Rural Poor in Ghana (June-September 2014)
Co-designed a beneficiary assessment of a project to provide solar power to rural households in the three northern regions of Ghana. Led a six-member team to conduct surveys and focus groups discussions in 40 communities. Analysed quantitative and qualitative data, and co-authored the final report and a journal article.
Futures Agricultures Consortium, Young People Theme (funded by DFID)
Q Methodology Study on Young People and Agrifood (May-November 2014)
Co-designed and supervised conduct of a study, using Q methodology, to understand the perceptions and aspirations of young people and their parents about employment, and specifically in agriculture. Produced a working paper and drafted a journal manuscript based on the study.
"Young people's perspectives on farming in Ghana: a Q study" Food Security (2017)
"Perspectives on desirable work: findings from a Q study with students and parents in rural Ghana", European Journal of Development Research (2016)
Women in Informal Economy Organizing (WIEGO)
Informal Economy Monitoring Study: Street Vendors in Accra, Ghana (2012-2013)
Lead researcher for Ghana component of a 10-city, longitudinal study of the urban informal economy. Supervised a five-person team to collect quantitative and qualitative data on street vending in Accra. Implemented the qualitative aspect of the study, which involved conducting focus groups with vendors in urban Accra. Led the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, and authored the Accra city report. (Report available at www.inclusivecities.org and www.wiego.org). Also co-authored a working paper and journal article from the study.
Future Agricultures Consortium, Young People Theme (funded by DFID)
Reframing the ‘Young People-Agriculture’ Discourse (2010-2014)
Lead researcher for Ghana for a study to examine changes in policy and practice in the agri-food sector, and the implications of these changes for young people’s employment and futures. Conducted an analysis of policy narratives on young people, agriculture and employment; created a database of programs and projects targeting young people and analysed the content of these programs. Authored a number of reports and articles and organized a 2011 international conference around this theme. (Publications available at www.future-agricultures.org)
Office of Research, Innovation and Development, University of Ghana
Modelling the Career Choices of Students at the University of Ghana (2010-2012)
Lead researcher for a study on the aspirations, preferences and choices of university students, with particular attention to final year students transiting into the labour market. Led the design and conduct of a survey of over 5,000 students in 2012 and 2013. Co-authored conference papers and journal manuscripts from the study.
Norwegian Research Council
Human Rights, Power and Civic Action (RIPOCA): Comparative Analyses of Human Rights-Based Approaches and Civic Struggle in Development Contexts (2009-2010)
Co-investigator for a multi-country study to investigate the ways in which struggles for human rights have been constrained by power relations and structural inequalities. Conducted context mapping of human rights of organisations in Ghana; authored a review of human rights discourses in Ghana based on secondary data and field interviews; supervised the development of case studies of three human rights organisations in Ghana; authored a synthesis report, and co-authored a book chapter and journal articles.
Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy, University of Ghana (funded by IDRC)
Formalising the Informal and Informalising the Formal? Analysing Changes in Women’s Work in Ghana (2008-2010)
Co-investigator for a study to analyse changes in women’s work in the informal (domestic) and formal (banking) sectors. Conducted survey and indepth interviews of bank workers; also co-created and participated in inception and dissemination workshops. Co-authored conference presentations, policy briefs and academic publications.
DFID
Social Protection for Migrant Labour in the Ghanaian Pineapple Sector (2007-2008)
Co-investigator for a study to understand the challenges and possibilities for social protection for migrant workers in the pineapple sector. Co-designed and conducted the qualitative component of the study. Co-authored working paper based on the research.
The World Bank
Economic Empowerment of Young People in Ghana: Social and Institutional Triggers and Constraints (2007-2008)
Led the Ghana team of a two-country study into economic empowerment of young people. Designed and supervised the collection and analyses of data (through indepth interviews of young people in rural and urban Ghana), and authored the final report.
ENAM Project at the University of Ghana
Evaluation of the Enhancing Child Nutrition through Animal Source Food Management (ENAM) project (2007-2008)
Designed and conducted a qualitative evaluation of the ENAM project, involving individual and group interviews of participants in three communities in Ghana; observations of home and business activities; analyses of various project documents; and writing of an evaluation report.
Cadbury Schweppes
Mapping Sustainable Production in Ghanaian Cocoa (2006-2007)
Member of team of researchers that conducted interviews and focus groups of migrant workers in rural cocoa- and pineapple-growing areas in Ghana. Contributed to final report.
Land Tenure and Land Policy Reform Project (ISSER & World Bank)
Chieftaincy Institutions and Land Tenure Security: Challenges, Responses and the Potential for Reform (2006)
Principal investigator of a qualitative study on the ways in which chieftaincy institutions affect land tenure security. Co-authored final report and technical paper.
DFID
Pathways of Women's Empowerment: Policy Discourses on Women’s Empowerment, Ghana/West Africa (2005-2010)
Co-investigator for the West African hub of a multi-continental study on the varied pathways to women’s empowerment. Conducted research into the discourses around empowerment in national institutions and development practitioners in Ghana. Conducted training program for staff of erstwhile Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs. Co-authored a book chapter and journal articles from study.