Wild, Frederik
Research Interests:
Development Economics, particularly the Economics of Education, Demography and Regional Integration
Geographical Area:
Sub-Saharan Africa, East Africa
Current Project:
Four Essays in Development Economics and Regional Economic Integration
The research anticipated in the dissertation is focused on a quantitative (empirical) analysis of economic development in Africa. I will produce four individual research papers which aim at estimating the causal effect of specific developmental policies and programs of African economies, on both an aggregate-, and on an individual level. The main task will lie in the identification of viable settings for causal inference, the compilation of comprehensive datasets, as well as the subsequent estimation of causal relationships, employing modern econometric methods. My research will contribute to the interdisciplinary research project “MuDAIMa” conducted under the Cluster of Excellence EXC 2052 “Africa Multiple”. MuDAIMa investigates the memberships and affiliations of (Anglophone) African economies’ in multiple, competing, regional economic communities (RECs). As part of this agenda, my research will try to investigate the impact of existing institutional arrangements of African economies. The initial project of the dissertation explores the effect of Free Primary Education policies (FPE) on women’s fertility in three countries of the East African Community (EAC), namely Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda.