Policy work and media

Building South Africa's social protection system for the unemployed

• • Since 2020 I have worked with the South African Presidency on redesign of the social protection system. I led a team of academics making recommendations on design of an unemployment grant and job search support programme. This led to a new, targeted monthly cash grant of $35 being rolled out to 10mn people, costing $4.2bn annually. Subsequently, recommendations have led to inflation-linked increases and adaptations to targeting criteria. I also led a team making recommendations for changes to the Employment Tax Incentive, implemented in the 2022 Budget. These doubled the number of firms eligible for the programme.  I was also commissioned to write a paper reviewing evidence to support expansion of cash grants (instead of provision of food parcels) during lockdown. Existing grants were topped up for 20 million existing beneficiaries, costing $3bn. For more details, see here.

    • Cited in the World Bank's Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2022 Report (p. 229) on the use of fiscal policy in the COVID19 pandemic as an example of best practice in using cash grants to mitigate effects of lockdowns.

  • Orkin, K. M. Goldman, B. Kreft, N. Hlela, J. Nicklin, I. Woolard, and M. Leibbrandt. 2023. Proposal for the Extension, Redesign, and Repurposing of the Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant for the Twin Goals of Poverty and Unemployment Reduction. UNU-WIDER SA-TIED Working Paper 218.

  • Orkin, K., R. Garlick, I. Rodriguez Hurtado, M. Grabowska, B. Kreft, A. Cahill. 2022. International Evidence to Inform Decision-Making on Implementing Urgent Response Social Protection Measures. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 27: 219-238.

  • Gerard, F., C. Imbert, K. Orkin. 2020. Social Protection Response to the COVID19 Crisis: Options for Developing Countries. Oxford Review of Economic Policy. 36(S1): S281-296.

  • Podcasts: VoxDev

  • TV and radio interviews: BBC Focus Africa, 702 radio (South Africa), SABC, Bloomberg QuickTakes

  • Newspaper oped: the Mail and Guardian

  • Oxford Science Blog on the evidence behind cash grants as effective emergency relief

  • Seminars: DFID Chief Economists' office to discuss applying behavioural insights to design of social protection; Video from BX conference on basic income grants 

Active Labour Markets Interventions

• • Caria, S. and K. Orkin. 2024. Barriers to Search and Hiring in Urban Labour Markets. VoxDevLit, 10(1). Co-senior editor. Editors: A. Andrew, R. Garlick, R. Heath, N. Singh. 

  • Newspaper coverage: Daily Maverick, Africa Portal, BizCommunity, City Press 

  • VoxDev research summary, GlobalDev research summary, video summary

  • Featured by the International Growth Centre in a brief on information frictions in the labour market 

  • Presentation to the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation in the South African Presidency

Effective Behavioural Messaging in the Context of COVID-19

• • TV and radio interviews: BBC World News, BBC Beyond 100 Days, BBC Radio 4

  • Oxford Science Blog on appealing to positive social norms and not highlighting the disobedient majority

  • Seminars: panel and lecture for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction to discuss how insights from behavioural economics can inform policy and media communications

Aspirations Interventions in Ethiopia

• • Media coverage from Nick Kristof in the New York Times

  • Blogs: David McKenzie on Development Impact, Chris Blattman, Markus Goldstein on Development Impact, Andrew Gelman on Statistical Modelling, Causal Inference and Social Science, Antoine Bouet at IFPRI

  • JPAL research summary

  • Cited in the World Development Report 2015

Voter education in South Africa

• Discussant for Mmusi Maimane, leader of the South African opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, at his public lecture Protecting South Africa’s Fragile Democracy at the London School of Economics. Re-broadcast on London-based TV channel ‘London Live’

• Radio interviews: 702 radio (South Africa)

• Op-ed from the Business Day, South Africa's major daily newspaper 

Before my PhD, I worked with the Young Lives longitudinal survey of children in Ethiopia. 

Young Lives research on child work and schooling

• Pells, K. 2014. Children's Wellbeing and Work in Sub-Saharan Africa. Young Lives Policy Brief (Oxford: University of Oxford): 1-8.

• Woodhead, M., Dornan, P., Murray, H. 2013. What Inequality Means for Children: Evidence from Young Lives. Submission to UNICEF for the Addressing Inequalities Global Thematic Consultation. (Oxford: University of Oxford): 1-63.

Young Lives School Survey in Ethiopia

• Frost, M., Rolleston, C. 2013. Improving Education Quality, Equity and Access: A Report on Findings from the Young Lives School Survey (Round 1) in Ethiopia. Young Lives Working Paper (96; Oxford: University of Oxford): 1-15.

•  Nega, A. 2012. Improving Education Quality, Equity and Access in Ethiopia: Findings from the Young Lives School Component. Young Lives Ethiopia Policy Brief (1; Young Lives Ethiopia/Save the Children): 1-4. 

• Young Lives. 2011. Education Research in Ethiopia: Young Lives and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education. Young Lives Impact and Learning Case Study (2; Oxford: University of Oxford): 1-2.

Young Lives/Bernard van Leer Foundation work on early childhood in Ethiopia

• Orkin, K., Yadete, W. A., Woodhead, M. 2012. Ways Forward for Early Learning in Ethiopia. Young Lives Policy Brief (20; Oxford: University of Oxford): 1-4.