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Greetings all,
My name is Jenny Aker, and I am an economics professor at Tufts University. Prior to working for a university, I worked for an international non-governmental organization in West and Central Africa. When I first arrived in West Africa in 1997, landlines were scarce and mobile phones had barely penetrated West Africa. More than ten years later, mobile phone coverage has expanded tremendously, and some of the poorest households in Africa are using mobile phones.
My research looks at the impact of information technology (primarily mobile phones) on a variety of development outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa, including adult literacy, access to market information and agricultural and civic education campaigns. The main questions we attempt to address are the following: How can mobile phone coverage and mobile devices reduce communication costs, improve households’ access to information and financial services and promote market efficiency, learning and development in developing countries?
While mobile phones offer tremendous opportunities in development, and can overcome weaknesses in landlines, power and roads, they are not necessarily the “silver bullet” for development. And such opportunities in some cases coincide with risks. How do we know when mobile technology is “better” (more efficient and effective) than traditional, low-tech approaches? And when mobile phone technology is used, how can we ensure that it reaches a broader spectrum of the population?
Jenny C. Aker
Assistant Professor of Economics, Tufts University
Economics Department and Fletcher School
Tufts University
Tel(C): +1 510 219-1663
Tel(Niger): 00 227 96087593
Tel (Netherlands): 00 310638029012
Email: jennaker-PkbjNfxxIARBDgjK7y7TUQ@public.gmane.org or Jenny.Aker-qzQkmLjiwf+HXe+LvDLADg@public.gmane.org
Web page: http://sites.tufts.edu/jennyaker/
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