Research

My research looks at how institutions, schools and markets work in Somalia, and what evidence can do to improve them.

Areas of focus

Governance and public institutions

How Somalia’s federal and state institutions are built, financed and held to account, and what makes reforms stick.

Current questionWhich accountability reforms survive a change of government?

Education and skills

Access, quality and the link between what schools teach and the jobs young people find.

Current questionWhat happens to graduates in the first two years after university?

Economy and development

Private sector growth, remittances and the everyday economics of households and small firms.

Current questionHow do small businesses finance growth without formal banking?

How I work

A few principles behind every study and article on this site.

  1. Start with the question. Each project begins with a question someone in Somalia needs answered, not with a method looking for a use.
  2. Go to the source. Interviews, surveys and official records come before secondary summaries.
  3. Write it plainly. Findings are published in language a policymaker, a teacher or a business owner can use.
  4. Share the data. Where it is safe to do so, data and instruments are shared so others can check and build on the work.

Publications

Papers, reports and policy briefs, newest first.

Papers, reports and policy briefs will be listed here as they are released.

Collaborate on a study

If you are working on a related question, or need a researcher with local knowledge, I’d like to hear from you.

Propose a collaboration