I believe research can improve policymaking by formulating research questions driven by the practical concerns of policymakers and cooperating closely with government in research design and execution.

Here is a video produced about some of my collaboration with Ghana’s Office of the Head of Civil Service.

Selected policy briefs, reports, media, and other material

• “Questioning hierarchies: Senior leaders’ views on how global civil services changed during the pandemic.” People in Government Lab policy report.
• “A balancing act of management approaches: What can we learn from Ghana’s civil service about the links between organisational performance and the way in which civil servants operate under different management practices?” People in Government Lab blog post.
• People in Government Lab International Conference recording, July 2022
• “A balancing act of management approaches“. This blog results from the partnership between the People in Government Lab and the UK Cabinet Office’s Civil Service HR team. It was published internally in the Cabinet Office Civil Service as part of a series from the People Strategy, Innovation and Insight team and linked to their Civil Service future people propositions project. April 2022.
• “External Validity and Policy Adaptation: From Impact Evaluation to Policy Design.” PEGNet Policy Brief 18/2019, October 2019.
• With Walter Brown, Daniel Rogger, and Ella Spencer. “Information and innovation in the public sector.” IGC Growth Brief September 2019.
• With Stefan Dercon, Imran Rasul, and Daniel Rogger. “How do management practices in government change over time? Evidence from Ghana.” Economic Development and Institutions Research Insight, July 2019.
• “Collaborating for impact: A partnership in Ghana.” Short video sponsored by IGC, May 2018.
• “Ghana’s infrastructure: The mystery of misspending.” Short video sponsored by IGC, viewed over 18,000 times and broadcast on national television and radio in Ghana, March 2018.
• With Imran Rasul and Daniel Rogger. “Autonomy, incentives, and the effectiveness of bureaucrats.” VoxDev Blog Post, September 2017.
• “External validity and policy adaptation: a five-step guide to mechanism mapping.” Blavatnik School of Government Policy Memo, July 2017.
• With Imran Rasul and Daniel Rogger. “Management and bureaucratic effectiveness: A scientific replication in Ghana and Nigeria.” IGC Policy Brief June 2017.
• “Variation in Infrastructure Delivery and Management Quality Among Ghana’s Local Governments.” IGC Project Memo, February 2016.
• “Bricks-and-mortar institutions matter: Project delivery and unfinished infrastructure in Ghana’s local governments.” IGC Policy Brief, November 2015.
• “There Is More Than One ‘Public Sector Way’: The Diversity of Management Practices in Ghana’s Government”. November 2013 Policy Brief for Government of Ghana.
• “Different Problems, Different Solutions? Budget Performance and Practices in Ghana’s Ministries”. November 2013 Policy Brief for Government of Ghana.

Selected citations by policymakers and media

• Blog summary of Four Lenses on People Management in the People Sector, Australia and New Zealand School of Government (blog)
• Research on unfinished projects cited in The Economist (article)
• Editorial in Ghana’s Daily Graphic newspaper about my research on unfinished development projects (website)
• The International Growth Centre features two of my projects as Impact Case Studies in its 2015-16 Annual Report (pdf)
• Director-General of Ghana’s NDPC cites my research showing that one-third of local government infrastructure projects are abandoned mid-construction, 20th October 2015 (pdf)
• Director-General of NDPC discusses my research on Ghana’s Citi FM Breakfast Show, 5th August 2015 (audio – starts at 0:22)
• Overseas Development Institute infographic uses statistics from my research on infrastructure delivery in Ghana (website)
• “The Political Economy of Unfinished Development Projects” featured in the Center for Global Development’s “What We’re Reading” newsletter, 1st April 2016
• “The Political Economy of Unfinished Development Projects” cited in This Week in Africa newsletter, 1st April 2016