Research
My research projects are in one of seven basic thrusts of my research: political economy, disability, health, natural disaster, tropical forest, spatial analysis, and theory. Many of my projects have been funded by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) as well as other research grants.
Political Economy
Conflict, preference, behavior, health, and Covid-19 in Cambodia
This project examines COVID-19, health, and preference; the impacts of landmine on risk preference and behaviors; and the impacts of conflicts on social preference and integration.
Collaborator: Katsuo Kogure (U. Aizu), Mayuko Onuki (Waseda U.); Soyoung Kim (U. Tokyo)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory) (18H05312; 20K20332), “Integrating spatial data and development program evaluation,” PI, 2018-2022
Crime, community policing, and Covid-19 in Brazil
This project examines the impacts of COVID-19 on crime and the impacts of community policing on crime and regional socio-economic outcomes in Sao Paulo State.
Collaborator: Katsuo Kogure (U. Aizu), Aya Tamura (U. Tokyo)
U. Tokyo, Graduate School of Economics Departmental Research Grant, “Exploratory study on community policing in developing countries,” PI, 2024
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory) (18H05312; 20K20332), “Integrating spatial data and development program evaluation,” PI, 2018-2022
Institutions and political economy of development in Cambodia
This project examines effects of institutions such as social norms formed under the Pol Pot regime, the formation of local political power after the Pol Pot regime, and its impacts on local development.
Collaborator: Katsuo Kogure (U. Aizu)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (25257106), “Randomized and natural experiments on vulnerability and socio-political institutions among the poor,” PI, 2013-2016
PRIMCED (2013-14). JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) (22223003), “Poverty reduction, institutions, markets, and policies in developing countries: toward a theory of comparative economic development,” Co-investigator, 2010-2014, PI: Takashi Kurosaki (Hitotsubashi U.)
Kinship in rural Fiji
This project draws on my primary household and community survey data. Major topics include chieftaincy, household private transfers, and fraud victimization.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan, Grant-in-Aid for Exploratory Research (17653026), “Methodological innovations in livelihood studies in tropical forests,” PI, 2005-2008
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (16402012), “Household and community surveys on sustainable development in traditional societies in the South Pacific,” PI, 2004-2008
Sumitomo Foundation, Environmental Research Grant (033253), “Livelihood, community, and the environment in the Pacific islands,” PI, 2003-2005
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (14530043), “Community and sustainable development in tropical forests in Southeast Asia,” PI, 2002-2003
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Disability
Conflict, poverty, and disabilities in Africa
This project examines the conflict-poverty-disability nexus in various countries in Africa.
Collaborator: Kengo Igei (Keio U.), Shinji Okazaki (LSE)
U. Tokyo, Graduate School of Economics Departmental Research Grant, “Exploratory study on conflict and disability,” PI, 2020
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (19H00590), “Field experiments on reproductive, maternal, and child health care in rural Africa,” PI, 2019-2024
Ethnicity, disability, and vocational training in Rwanda
This project examines the impacts of JICA's vocational training on economic, psychological, and social outcomes among disabled working-age adults - both civilians and ex-combatants with different ethnic background - in Rwanda.
Collaborators: Keitaro Aoyagi (Metrics Work Consultants Inc.), Kengo Igei (Keio U.), Mayuko Onuki (Waseda U.), Shuhei Kainuma (Stockholm U.)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (25257106), “Randomized and natural experiments on vulnerability and socio-political institutions among the poor,” PI, 2013-2016
Poverty, disability, and vocational training in Cambodia
This project examines the poverty-disability nexus and conducts randomized evaluation of NGO's vocational training program for disabled working-age adults, especially amputees, in landmine areas in Cambodia.
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (17330060), “Poverty and disability in a post-conflict country,” PI, 2005-2008
Health
Psychic costs of maternal health care in rural Nigeria
This project conducts a series of randomized experiments to explore the mechanism underlying low vaccine take-up among women of childbearing age with a focus on psychic costs in northeastern Nigeria.
Collaborator: Ryoko Sato (Boston Scientific)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (16K13357), “Field experiment to measure psychic costs of vaccination in rural Africa,” PI, 2016-2017
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (25257106), “Randomized and natural experiments on vulnerability and socio-political institutions among the poor,” PI, 2015-2016
PRIMCED (2012). JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) (22223003), “Poverty reduction, institutions, markets, and policies in developing countries: toward a theory of comparative economic development,” Co-investigator, 2010-2014, PI: Takashi Kurosaki (Hitotsubashi U.)
Antenatal care in rural Nigeria
This project conducts randomized evaluation of antenatal care in northeastern Nigeria, where antenatal care uptake is relatively uncommon and slow and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the country.
Collaborator: Ryoko Sato (Boston Scientific)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (21402018), “Antenatal care and health in rural Africa: randomized program evaluation,” PI, 2009-2011
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Natural Disaster
Natural disaster and community in rural Fiji
This project draws on my primary household and community survey data. Major topics include allocation of disaster aid, risk coping, and risk sharing.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan, Grant-in-Aid for Exploratory Research (17653026), “Methodological innovations in livelihood studies in tropical forests,” PI, 2005-2008
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (16402012), “Household and community surveys on sustainable development in traditional societies in the South Pacific,” PI, 2004-2008
Sumitomo Foundation, Environmental Research Grant (033253), “Livelihood, community, and the environment in the Pacific islands,” PI, 2003-2005
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (14530043), “Community and sustainable development in tropical forests in Southeast Asia,” PI, 2002-2003
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Tropical Forest
Peruvian Amazon Rural Livelihood and Poverty (PARLAP)
This project combines remote sensing, sub-basin community census, and community/household surveys to explore the evolution of community location and characteristics, geographical poverty traps, and targeting and evaluation of community-based programs.
Collaborators: Oliver T. Coomes (McGill U.), Christian Abizaid (U. Toronto), Mari Tanaka (Hitotsubashi U.), Margaret Kalacska (McGill U.), Pablo Arroyo-Mora (National Research Council of Canada), Shunsuke Tsuda (U. Essex), Yuma Noritomo (Cornell U.); RA: An Le My, Soyoung Kim
PARLAP COVID-19 Survey policy brief
PARLAP featured by GROW (Wisconsin's Magazine for the Life Sciences)
JSPS, Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research, Fostering Joint International Research (B) (18KK0042), “Interdisciplinary collaborative research on rainforest conservation and development,” PI, 2018-2023
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory) (18H05312; 20K20332), “Integrating spatial data and development program evaluation,” PI, 2018-2022
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (26245032), “Innovations in conservation and development in Amazonian rainforest: endogenous community location and poverty traps,” PI, 2014-2018
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (23243045), “Geographical poverty traps and community-based conservation and development in tropical forests: endogenizing the role of community location,” PI, 2011-2013
Dynamic and spatial analyses of shifting cultivation in the Peruvian Amazon
This project conducts micro dynamic and spatial analyses on shifting cultivation and landscape.
Collaborators: Oliver T. Coomes, Jeanine Rhemtulla (U. British Columbia)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (21653022), “Micro spatial analysis and network analysis of Amazonian traditional agriculture,” PI, 2009-2011
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan, Grant-in-Aid for Exploratory Research (17653026), “Methodological innovations in livelihood studies in tropical forests,” PI, 2005-2008
Social network in shifting cultivation in the Peruvian Amazon
This project conducts social network analysis on shifting cultivation.
Collaborators: Oliver T. Coomes, Chistian Abizaid, Stéphanie Brisson (McGill U.)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (21653022), “Micro spatial analysis and network analysis of Amazonian traditional agriculture,” PI, 2009-2011
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan, Grant-in-Aid for Exploratory Research (17653026), “Methodological innovations in livelihood studies in tropical forests,” PI, 2005-2008
Resource extraction among shifting cultivators in the Peruvian Amazon
This project draws on our primary household survey data gathered in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve.
Collaborators: Bradford L. Barham (U. Wisconsin-Madison), Oliver T. Coomes
Runner-up, The Award for Outstanding Research on Development, Global Development Network, 2000
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Spatial Analysis
Spatial data and program evaluation
Using spatial data, we develop methods for measuring the causal effects of spatial phenomena (events). We explore the possibility of their broad applications especially to public goods such as schools and health facilities.
Collaborator: Katsuo Kogure (U. Aizu)
JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory) (18H05312), “Integrating spatial data and development program evaluation,” PI, 2018-2022
U. Tokyo, Graduate School of Economics Departmental Research Grant, “Exploratory study on spatial data and program evaluation,” PI, 2018
Theory
Theory of shifting cultivation
My theoretical works center on the micro-dynamic modeling of shifting cultivation. Major topics include deforestation, secondary fallow forest, and soil conservation.
Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation Honorable Mention from American Agricultural Economics Association in 2001.
The Matsushita International Foundation, Research Grant (01-045), “Micro study of sustainable development in the Amazonian rain forests: impacts of agricultural policies on deforestation and land degradation,” PI, 2001-2002
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