AFAERE

Green Jobs Assessment Models: INPUT- OUTPUT Analysis
2021-05-26 | Zoom
The webinar exposes you to a very simplified way to measure the impact of green sectoral production initiatives. We will briefly discuss the Input-Output methodology and show you an example of how to carry out such an exercise using a recent country example. This webinar will benefit students and researchers who do not have any knowledge or skills in this methodology.
PRESENTERS:
Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, Vice President, AFAERE
Riad Sultan, Senior Lecturer: Economics, University of Mauritius
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://up-ac-za.zoom.us/j/97330702302?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 973 3070 2302
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Date: 26 May 15h00-17h00 (Central African Time)

Presentation slides
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12OzYunjQVtB9cb5JJ0425YZhPs-CwLUw/view?usp=sharing
﻿

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10jrx-vviAHEj-kOISRatLhuu3BNzUQUM/view?usp=sharing
﻿

Webinar Recording
﻿

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Covid-19
2021-03-08 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Zoom
The start of the last decade (2020-2030) of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) faced the biggest global health challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic is a significant setback for the world’s ambition to achieve the SDGs, in particular for poor countries. While the reduction in carbon emissions due to the global lockdown and social distancing restrictions, are seen as a positive environmental impacts, the goal should be to restore economic activity without environmental degradation. Today, the global economy is still crippled by the ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, amidst progress made towards the vaccine rollout in various parts of the world. While progress has been made in various SDG aspects including policy, the SDR2020 acknowledges, that “no country is currently on track to achieve all the SDGs”, with developing countries most affected. At this point, the long-term consequences of the pandemic remain uncertain and countries need to adapt to the new norm. In view of this, the African Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AFAERE) is bringing together experts on policy to share their experience on the complex issue of driving the SDGs under the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to existing global challenges of climate change, poverty and inequalities.
Speakers will address (i) The impact of COVID-19 on the SDGs (https://sdgintegration.undp.org/), (ii) How to respond to COVID-19 and climate emergency (https://www.uneca.org/), (iii) National Monitoring and Reporting System for the SDGs (https://sdgcafrica.org/), and (iv) The role of academic institutions in the SDGs under the Covid-19 pandemic.
14h00 – 14h15:
Welcome and Introduction of AFAERE
Selma Karuaihe,
President, AFAERE

14h15 – 14h30:
Introduction of Panelists

14h30 – 15h50:
Panel on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Covid-19

Moderator:

Selma Karuaihe,
President, AFAERE

14h30 – 14h50:
UNDP SDG Integration: Impact of COVID-19 on the SDGs
Babatunde Abidoye,
Global Policy Advisor, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York, USA, https://sdgintegration.undp.org/

14h50 – 15h10:
A Green recovery for Africa: How to respond to COVID-19 and climate emergency
Jean-Paul ADAM,
Director, Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, https://www.uneca.org/

15h10 – 15h30:
National Monitoring and Reporting System for the SDGs
Olive Dushime,
SDG Advisor, The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A), Kigali, Rwanda, https://sdgcafrica.org/

15h30 – 15h50:
Concluding remarks and the role of academia in the SDGs
Selma Karuaihe,
President, AFAERE

15h50 – 16h00:
Vote of Thanks
Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu,
Deputy President, AFAERE

Panel Format
15-20 Minutes presentations by the panelists.
5 minutes of Q&A after each presenter

ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/68767561927

Get the slides
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xLrRMJX0i7EwYTH_HGzI4LaClFqf31F7/view?usp=sharing
﻿

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ms6XhLUgY3Aj–cIpDB4CthfEreR3WmD/view?usp=sharing
﻿ ﻿

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vkO5zcuERKu_jwUMNhzfnaDR-b8EOnhT/view?usp=sharing
﻿ ﻿

Couldn’t take part in the event? You can watch the video
﻿

AFAERE AGM and Elections
2020-12-12 14:00 - 16:00 | Zoom
The AFAERE Annual General Meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday 30th November 2020 at 14h00GMT. Current and prospective AFAERE members are welcome to attend.
At the AGM, we will finalize the election of the incoming AFAERE President who would takeover in January 2023. We will also elect two Council Members who will serve from 2021 to 2024. Only subscribed members as at the date of the AGM will be eligible to vote or be voted for. Please subscribe for membership easily using your bank card at our website – https://afaere.org/membership/membership-shop/
Please nominate candidates for “AFAERE President 2023-2024” and two “AFAERE Council Members 2021-2024” by sending an email with these details (Name, Surname, Email Address, Position Nominated For) to afaerecouncil@gmail.com for consideration by the AFAERE 2020 Nominating Committee, which will recommend two Presidential and four Council Member candidates to be included on the ballot for the election to take place at the AGM
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/69054057207

Who Benefits from Climate-Friendly Agriculture? The Marginal Returns to a Rainfed System of Rice Intensification in Tanzania
2020-12-03 14:00 - 16:00
TThe AFAERE Annual General Meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday 30th November 2020 at 14h00GMT. Current and prospective AFAERE members are welcome to attend.
Agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa faces a multitude of challenges arising from land degradation, climate change, and limited access to improved technology. In this context, technologies that raise farmers’ crop productivity while mitigating risk exposure are particularly valuable. This study assesses the impacts of a modified, rainfed variant of the system of rice intensification (SRI) on expected yields, yield variance (variability) and yield skewness (exposure to downside risk) in Tanzania. The appeal of the technology lies in its yield-enhancing potential, its low demand for complementary external inputs as well as its drought resistance features. While the uptake of SRI has been considerable in Asia, the limited uptake in Africa is puzzling, particularly given its suitability for the African setting. Our empirical strategy relies on the estimation of marginal treatment effect (MTE) models. We find that, while the average effects on adopters suggest that SRI enhances yield and reduces the downside risk of crop failure, the marginal treatment effects indicate that only farmers with low resistance to adoption, benefit. Our analysis also highlights the importance of farmers’ climate perception for the adoption of SRI and the need for policies that increase climate awareness to ensure food security. However, these results may well be specific to small scale, rainfed rice cultivation in Africa and therefore may not be generalizable to situations where SRI relies on irrigation
Joint work with Mintewab Bezabih, Mumbi Kimani and Remidius Ruhinduka
PRESENTER : Prof Mare Sarr, School of International Affairs, Penn State University, USA
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/65079393341

EfD Virtual Conference
2020-11-16 13:00 - 2020-11-20 16:00
The EfD Virtual Conference takes place from 16th to 20th November 2020. This is the largest annual conference in the Global South on the application of environmental economics to development.
Four eminent keynote speakers, one per day, will make presentations at 13h00GMT-14h00GMT. There will also be five parallel session presentations (four sessions for paper presentations and one session for proposal presentations) each day from 14h00GMT-16h00GMT.
You can find more details here: https://efdinitiative.org/news-events/efd-annual-meeting

Modelling Alternative Payment Modes in Choice Experiments
2020-11-05 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom
Stated preference studies in developing countries usually adopt both monetary and non-monetary payment modes to elicit preferences for non-market goods and services. In this presentation, I plan to discuss a choice experiment on the purchase of flood insurance with three alternative payment modes among irrigation farmers in Ghana. The results together with the policy implications will be discussed. In addition, I will present an integrated modelling of these alternative payment modes in choice experiment, and test relative uncertainties among these alternative payment modes. I will discuss the results and the implications of these results for conduct of stated preferences and the use of resulting welfare measures
PRESENTER: Dr Godwin Kofi Vondolia, Researcher, Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway; Member of AFAERE; Research Fellow, Environment for Development (EfD)
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/63270761941
TIME: 5 November 2020, 14h00 GMT
Couldn’t take part in the event? You can watch the video
﻿

Use of experimental design to understand transition to clean energy in Africa
2020-10-22 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom
In this webinar, I will present challenges and practical lessons from my previous energy research in Tanzania. These will be the core themes of the presentation

What we think we know and potential identification challenges around cross-sectional data based assessment on energy transition
The power of experimental design: randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
Practical issues to consider focusing on role of partners (both government and non-governmental actors)
Experiences from previous experimental studies on energy transition (both technical and practical experience); rural and urban setups

PRESENTER: Dr Remidius Ruhinduka, Lecturer, School of Economics, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Member of AFAERE; Research Fellow, Environment for Development (EfD) ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/65403535504 TIME: 22 October 2020, 14h00 GMT

Couldn’t take part in the event? You can watch the video
﻿

A Review of Recent Advances in Applied Econometrics
2020-10-08 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom
In this webinar, I will present a review of recent advances in applied econometrics, which is useful for researchers working on empirical questions related to program/policy impact evaluation. I will consider three major topics offering recommendations for applied work in each of them. I will start with the discussion of causal inferences with observation data; natural experiment design-based identification strategies including difference-in-difference estimator, synthetic control methods, instrumental variables method, and regression discontinuity design. These will be followed by a brief look into external validity, and the causal interpretation of regression methods. Secondly, I will present different supplementary analyses of these estimators with a focus on placebo and robustness tests to establish credibility of the identification strategies. Finally and more importantly, I will introduce recent advances in causal machine learning (ML) with a focus on (1) l^1-Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) for estimating treatment effects and model selection and (2) Causal Forest for identifying and estimating heterogenous treatment effects.
PRESENTER: Dr Dambala Gelo Kutela, Senior Lecturer, School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; Member of AFAERE; Senior Research Associate, Environment for Development (EfD)
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/69977090559
TIME: 8 October 2020, 14h00 GMT

Couldn’t take part in the event? You can watch the video

Introduction to Discrete Choice Analysis & Stated Choice Surveys
2020-09-24 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom
Almost without exception, everything we undertake involves a choice. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the development and application of quantitative statistical methods to study choices made by individuals or groups with the purpose of gaining a better understanding both of how choices are made and of forecasting future choices. Discrete Choice Analysis (DCEs) and stated choice methods are widely used across diverse fields to study the behavioural responses of individuals, households and other organizations. This is an introduction to the theoretical basis for, and development and application of, the DCEs. The aim of the talk is to provide the audience particularly students with an understanding of the basic principles of conducting discrete choice experiments (also known as conjoint choice analysis). Thorough and step by step guide to all stages in the design of DCE surveys, including attribute and level selection, experimental design, survey design and implementation.
PRESENTER: Prof Johane Dikgang, Senior Research Fellow & Director: Public and Environmental Economics Research Centre (PEERC), University of Johannesburg, South Africa & AFAERE Council Member
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/61352551955
MEETING ID: 641 303 072 84
TIME: 24 September 2020, 14h00 GMT

Couldn’t take part in the event? You can watch the video

How to Calculate & Plug-in Biodiversity Values in Public Policy in Africa
2020-09-10 14:00 - 15:30 | Zoom
PANELISTS 1: Dr. Byela Tibesigwa, Senior Research Fellow at Environment for Development-Tanzania (EfD-T) at the University of Dar es Salaam. She is a council member of AFAERE and member of Ecosystem Service Accounting for Development (ESAfD) and AGRODEP
PANELISTS 2: Prof. Richard Mulwa, Centre Director and Senior Research Fellow at Environment for Development-Kenya (EfD-K) at the University of Nairobi. He is a member of AFAERE and Secretary General of ASEE. He is a member of Ecosystem Service Accounting for Development (ESAfD)
PANELISTS 3: Dr. Dawit Woubishet, Research Fellow at Environment and Climate Research Center (ECRC) i.e. EfD-Ethiopia. Member of Ecosystem Service Accounting for Development (ESAfD) and Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) initiative
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/64130307284 MEETING ID: 641 303 072 84 TIME: 10 September 2020, 14h00 GMT

Innovative Methods for the Upcoming Call for Energy Research
2020-08-27 14:00 - 15:30
Access to electricity leads to enhanced agriculture, business, education, health, water and sanitation, and overall economic growth and the improvement in the quality of life; yet more than 600 million people lack electricity. Africa needs to accelerate electrification while mitigating against, and adapting to, climate change. The considerable untapped renewable energy potential and their rapid cost reductions hold promise for a massive roll out of sustainable electricity on the continent. However, knowledge on effective policies, interventions, and investment models remains limited while data that would aid planning and investment is inaccessible and scattered. Accelerating sustainable electricity in Africa therefore also requires generation of new knowledge. We anticipate a call for proposals on energy and climate change in the last quarter of the year. This presentation suggests a framework for country case studies on addressing the challenges of sustainable electrification in Africa. It highlights the methodologies that are likely to impress funders while helping to guide climate-smart sustainable electrification in Africa

PRESENTER: Prof Edwin Muchapondwa, School of Economics at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Senior Research Fellow of the Environment for Development (EfD), and Secretary General of the African Association of Environmental and Resources Economists (AFAERE)
ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/65517614084MEETING ID: 655 1761 4084
TIME: 27 August 2020 14h00 GMT

Couldn’t take part in the event? You can watch the video

Get the slides
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nBHkBCGGCS678q5UHuaEeuZQyyntlwmQ/view?usp=sharing

Fundable Research Proposals
2020-08-13 14:00 - 15:30
Tips for Writing a Good and Fundable Research Proposal in Economics

Good research begins with a good research idea that has clear and significant value addition. Developing such an idea in a concise and coherent manner in a research proposal worthy of attracting support requires some expertise. This webinar aims at highlighting critical but often overlooked ingredients that distinguish a strong research proposal from a weak one. The webinar will cover items such as how to choose a research topic, what goes into writing a good introduction, stating a research problem and research objectives, identifying the relevant literature, choosing appropriate methodology, data issues, as well as an overview of the criteria used by funders in evaluating proposals

PRESENTER: Prof. Wisdom Akpalu, Dean of the School of Research and Graduate Studies at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), and President of the African Association of Environmental and Resources Economists (AFAERE)

ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/67412358126MEETING ID: 674 1235 8126

TIME: 13 August 2020 14h00 GMT

Couldn’t take part in the event? You can watch the video

﻿

Get the slides
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BkiOw1KnJsOfSEK-4wkUKVJUZsyHLumS/view?usp=sharing
