Jenny Aker

Jenny C. Aker is a Professor of Development Economics at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Department of Economics at Tufts University. She is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Global Development, a member of the Advisory Board for CDA, Frontline SMS and the Boston Network for International Development (BNID). She also serves as the Deputy Director of the Hitachi Center for Technology and International Affairs at Fletcher. After working for Catholic Relief Services as Deputy Regional Director in West and Central Africa between 1998 and 2003, Jenny completed her PhD in agricultural economics at the University of California-Berkeley. Jenny works on economic development in Africa, with a primary focus on the impact of information (and information technology) on development outcomes, particularly in the areas of agriculture, agricultural markets, adult education and financial inclusion; the determinants and impacts of agricultural technology adoption; and the impact of different mechanisms and modalities of social protection (cash and in-kind transfers). Jenny has conducted field work in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, DRC, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Tanzania, as well as Haiti and Guatemala.

Education

• PhD, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States, 2008
• MS, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States, 2005
• AB, Duke University, Durham, United States

Research/Areas of Interest: Economic development in Africa, with a primary focus on the impact of information and information technology on development outcomes, particularly in the areas of agriculture, agricultural marketing and education; The relationship between shocks and agricultural food market performance; The determinants of agricultural technology adoption; Technology and educational outcomes