Merima Ali

Degree

Ph. D., Wageningen School of Social Science, the Netherlands, 2012

Specialties

Development, micro-economic analysis of small-scale industries, taxation

Courses

Fall 2018
ECN 365 The World Economy

Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 to 10:50, Hall of Languages 202

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

2015  "Why can we not demonstrate the difference that Norwegian aid makes? An evaluation of the results measurement system and practice." Journal of Development Effectiveness, with Espen Villanger, Rob Lloyd and Derek Poate. DOI:10.1080/19439342.2015.1096297

2014  "To Pay or Not to Pay? Citizens’ Attitudes Toward Taxation in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa." World Development, 64:828-842, with Odd-Helge Fjeldstad and Ingrid Hoem Sjursen

2014  "Clustering as an Organizational Response to Capital Market Inefficiency: Evidence from Microenterprises in Ethiopia." Small Business Economics, 43:697-709, with X. Zhang and J. Peerlings.

2014  "Understanding Inequalities in Child Health in Ethiopia: Health Achievements Are Improving in the Period 2000– 2011." PLoS ONE, 9:e106460. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106460, with Eirin Kruger Skaftun and Ole Frithjof Norheim.     

2013  "Health inequalities in Ethiopia: modelling within-group and between-group inequalities." International Journal for Equity in Health, 12. Doc.10.1186/1475-9276-12, with Eirik Joakim Tranvåg and Ole Frithjof Norheim from Bergen University 

2012 "Farm households and non-farm activities in Ethiopia: does clustering influence entry and exit?" Agricultural Economics, 43:253-266, with J.Peerlings.

2011  "Value Added of Cluster Membership for Micro Enterprises of the Handloom Sector in Ethiopia." World Development, 39:363-374, with J. Peerlings.

2011  "Ethnic Ties in Trade Relationships and the Impact on Economic Performance: The Case of Small-Scale Producers in Ethiopia." Journal of Development Studies, 47:1241-1260, with J.Peerlings.

Policy briefs

"Taxing the urban boom: property taxation in Africa," with Odd-Helge Fjeldstad and Tom Goodfellow, CMI Insight, March 2017.

"Property Taxation in Developing Countries," with Odd-Helge Fjeldstad and Lucas Ketera, CMI Brief, March 2017.

"Industrial Clusters Promotion as a tool for private sector development: The UNIDO experience in Ethiopia," with  Nicola D. Coniglio, Adnan Seric (2013) Bergen: Chr. Michelsen Institute (vol. 12 no. 5).

"Government''s role in cluster development for MSEs: Lessons from Ethiopia," Merima Ali (2012)  Bergen: Chr. Michelsen Institute (Report R 2012:2).

Working papers

“Colonial legacy, state building and the salience of ethnicity in Sub-Saharan Africa” (joint with Odd-Helge, Abdulaziz Shifa and  Boqian Jiang) Revise and Resubmit The Economic Journal.

“Information technology and fiscal capacity in a developing country: Micro- evidence from Ethiopia”, ICTD working paper, 2015 (joint with Abdulaziz Shifa, Firew Woldeyes and Abebe Shimeles).

"New Link“Diffusion of labor standards from origin to host countries: Cross-country evidence from FDI in Africa”, EUI Working Paper RSCAS 2014/22 (joint with Adnan Seric).

“Health Workers Absenteeism in Tanzania and the Effect on Service Delivery” (joint with Ottar Mæstad).

Research Grants and Awards

2016  Principal Investigator:  "Mapping Tax Compliance  Costs for Businesses in Africa," funded by International Centre for Taxation and Development ($50,000)

2016  "Taxing the urban boom in Tanzania: Interests, incentives and real estate in Dar es Salaam," funded by Norwegian Embassy Dar es Salaam

2015  Principal Investigator: "Electronic sales register machines, tax enforcement and tax outcomes," funded by International Centre for Taxation and Development ($112,000)

2013  Principal Investigator: "Impact evaluation on the role of IT on tax compliance in Ethiopia," funded by International Centre for Taxation and Development ($52,136)

2013  Co-principal Investigator: "A fair path towards universal coverage: National case study for Ethiopia, Uganda and Zambia," funded by International Development Research Centre ($52,607)

2013  End review of "UNIDO, Entrepreneurship development for the youth in Mozambique," funded by NORAD

2013  Evaluation of the Norwegian aid administration''s systems & practices, funded by NORAD

2013  "Edible oil value chain enhancement and clustering in Ethiopia," funded by UNIDO