Non-Resident Fellow
Education: PhD 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
Jenny C. Aker is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Tufts University. Her research approach uses field experiments to better understand real-world development problems and to link research with policy and implementation. Her current research focuses on the impact of information (and information technology) on development outcomes, namely agricultural markets and literacy; the impact of information and education on civic education; and markets and food crisis. Aker is currently collaborating with several NGOs on multi-arm randomized experiments using cell phones in Niger and Mozambique.
Prior to joining Tufts, Aker worked extensively in Central, North and West Africa for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) between 1997-2003. She also worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Global Development in 2008/2009.
Aker 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.
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Post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker assesses the impact of weather shocks on grain markets in Niger. Droughts and crop failures occurred in Niger in both 2000 and 2004, but only the 2004 drought resulted in a severe food crisis. Many were quick to cite market failure and hoarding as causes of the crisis, but other factors such as the spatial distribution of drought, temporary trade restrictions, and inadequate incentives to import from Nigeria may have played a larger role.
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Post-doctoral fellow Jenny C. Aker supports the innovation of the World Food Program's new Purchase-for-Progress initiative but argues that it might not be the panacea that others claim. She questions some of the assumptions of the P4P and cites some potential unintended consequences, especially for the thin grain markets of the Sahel. Aker provides five concrete suggestions for the WFP to consider during the pilot phase of this program.
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How is information technology affecting markets and welfare in low income countries? According to a new CGD working paper by post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker, the introduction of cell phones in Niger reduced grain price differences across markets by 20 percent between 2001 and 2006. The primary reason for this effect was a reduction in search costs: cell phones enabled traders to obtain market information more quickly and from a larger number of markets, thereby allowing them to allocate grains more efficiently. Cell phones not only helped market performance, but also trader and consumer welfare: cell phones were associated with a 4 percent reduction in consumer grain prices in 2004/2005, the year of a severe food crisis. The lower relative prices in cell phone markets could have allowed individuals to consume millet for additional 8–12 days.
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Cell phones are transforming markets in low-income countries, especially in rural sub-Saharan Africa. In this CGD Note, post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker documents the positive impact of cell phones in Niger, which the UN ranks as the world’s poorest country. Aker finds that phones are associated on average with a 20 percent reduction in grain price differences across markets — an effect that grows as cell phone coverage expands.
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In this essay, CGD post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker analyzes the performance of grain markets in Niger during its 2005 food crisis, when an estimated 2.4 million people were affected by severe food shortages, to find ways to avoid future crises. She finds that local grain markets are highly responsive to national and sub-regional price shocks and suggests that local early-warning systems should monitor the impact of drought and prices in key national and sub-regional markets. This essay highlights the need for policies that account for the impact of local purchases and regional trade on food security.
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In this essay, CGD post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker analyzes the performance of grain markets in Niger during its 2005 food crisis, when an estimated 2.4 million people were affected by severe food shortages, to find ways to avoid future crises. She finds that local grain markets are highly responsive to national and sub-regional price shocks and suggests that local early-warning systems should monitor the impact of drought and prices in key national and sub-regional markets. This essay highlights the need for policies that account for the impact of local purchases and regional trade on food security.
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Post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker assesses the impact of weather shocks on grain markets in Niger. Droughts and crop failures occurred in Niger in both 2000 and 2004, but only the 2004 drought resulted in a severe food crisis. Many were quick to cite market failure and hoarding as causes of the crisis, but other factors such as the spatial distribution of drought, temporary trade restrictions, and inadequate incentives to import from Nigeria may have played a larger role.
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How is information technology affecting markets and welfare in low income countries? According to a new CGD working paper by post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker, the introduction of cell phones in Niger reduced grain price differences across markets by 20 percent between 2001 and 2006. The primary reason for this effect was a reduction in search costs: cell phones enabled traders to obtain market information more quickly and from a larger number of markets, thereby allowing them to allocate grains more efficiently. Cell phones not only helped market performance, but also trader and consumer welfare: cell phones were associated with a 4 percent reduction in consumer grain prices in 2004/2005, the year of a severe food crisis. The lower relative prices in cell phone markets could have allowed individuals to consume millet for additional 8–12 days.
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Cell phones are transforming markets in low-income countries, especially in rural sub-Saharan Africa. In this CGD Note, post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker documents the positive impact of cell phones in Niger, which the UN ranks as the world’s poorest country. Aker finds that phones are associated on average with a 20 percent reduction in grain price differences across markets — an effect that grows as cell phone coverage expands.
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Post-doctoral fellow Jenny C. Aker supports the innovation of the World Food Program's new Purchase-for-Progress initiative but argues that it might not be the panacea that others claim. She questions some of the assumptions of the P4P and cites some potential unintended consequences, especially for the thin grain markets of the Sahel. Aker provides five concrete suggestions for the WFP to consider during the pilot phase of this program.
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Rainfall Shocks, Markets, and Food Crises: Evidence from the Sahel - Working Paper 157
- Dec 12, 2008
Post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker assesses the impact of weather shocks on grain markets in Niger. Droughts and crop failures occurred in Niger in both 2000 and 2004, but only the 2004 drought resulted in a severe food crisis. Many were quick to cite market failure and hoarding as causes of the crisis, but other factors such as the spatial distribution of drought, temporary trade restrictions, and inadequate incentives to import from Nigeria may have played a larger role.
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Toward Measuring the Impact of the World Food Program's Purchase for Progress Initiative
- Dec 12, 2008
Post-doctoral fellow Jenny C. Aker supports the innovation of the World Food Program's new Purchase-for-Progress initiative but argues that it might not be the panacea that others claim. She questions some of the assumptions of the P4P and cites some potential unintended consequences, especially for the thin grain markets of the Sahel. Aker provides five concrete suggestions for the WFP to consider during the pilot phase of this program.
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Does Digital Divide or Provide? The Impact of Cell Phones on Grain Markets in Niger - Working Paper 154
- Oct 27, 2008
How is information technology affecting markets and welfare in low income countries? According to a new CGD working paper by post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker, the introduction of cell phones in Niger reduced grain price differences across markets by 20 percent between 2001 and 2006. The primary reason for this effect was a reduction in search costs: cell phones enabled traders to obtain market information more quickly and from a larger number of markets, thereby allowing them to allocate grains more efficiently. Cell phones not only helped market performance, but also trader and consumer welfare: cell phones were associated with a 4 percent reduction in consumer grain prices in 2004/2005, the year of a severe food crisis. The lower relative prices in cell phone markets could have allowed individuals to consume millet for additional 8–12 days.
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"Can You Hear Me Now?" How Cell Phones are Transforming Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Oct 27, 2008
Cell phones are transforming markets in low-income countries, especially in rural sub-Saharan Africa. In this CGD Note, post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker documents the positive impact of cell phones in Niger, which the UN ranks as the world’s poorest country. Aker finds that phones are associated on average with a 20 percent reduction in grain price differences across markets — an effect that grows as cell phone coverage expands.
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How Can We Avoid Another Food Crisis in Niger? (Essay)
- Sep 16, 2008
In this essay, CGD post-doctoral fellow Jenny Aker analyzes the performance of grain markets in Niger during its 2005 food crisis, when an estimated 2.4 million people were affected by severe food shortages, to find ways to avoid future crises. She finds that local grain markets are highly responsive to national and sub-regional price shocks and suggests that local early-warning systems should monitor the impact of drought and prices in key national and sub-regional markets. This essay highlights the need for policies that account for the impact of local purchases and regional trade on food security.
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Global Development Matters August Meetup
- Aug 25, 2009
Mobile phones are transforming lives in low-income countries faster than ever imagined. The effect is particularly dramatic in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, where mobile phones have often represented the first modern infrastructure of any kind. The iconic image of cell phones in Africa is the market woman, surrounding by her goods while making calls to potential clients in the capital city. Equally common are the slogans of mobile phone companies promising a better life for those who use it.
Yet do these images and slogans reflect the reality of what cell phones can do? Cell phones are being adopted by the rural and urban poor at a surprising rate, far exceeding cell phone companies’ projections. An emerging body of research suggests that mobile phones are improving households’ access to information and reducing costs, thereby making markets more efficient and increasing incomes. These impacts have occurred without NGOs or donor investments--but as a positive externality from the IT sector.
Governments, donors and NGOs have noticed the potential of information technology in achieving development goals in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, financial services and governance. Mobile phones can greatly facilitate the effectiveness of development programs, but are needed in partnership with the private sector. And the potential "dark side" of improved communications, as was evident in the Kenyan elections, should not be ignored. Finally, with coverage reaching over 60% of the population in most African countries, other constraints to cell phone adoption--namely pricing and handset cost--should be addressed.
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Does Digital Divide or Provide? The Impact of Cell Phones on Grain Markets in Niger
- Feb 12, 2008
Due partly to costly information, price dispersion across markets is common in developed and developing countries. Between 2001 and 2006, cell phone service was phased in throughout Niger, providing an alternative and cheaper search technology to grain traders and other market actors. We construct a novel theoretical model of sequential search, in which traders engage in optimal search for the maximum sales price, net transport costs. The model predicts that cell phones will increase traders' reservation sales prices and the number of markets over which they search, leading to a reduction in price dispersion across markets. To test the predictions of the theoretical model, we use a unique market and trader dataset from Niger that combines data on prices, transport costs, rainfall and grain production with cell phone access and trader behavior.
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