My main area of research interest is development economics, with a special focus on health and gender.

Ongoing research projects include the following:

I didn’t know I was pregnant”: self-reported causes and covariates of late antenatal care attendance in Cape Town, South Africa. With Ronelle Buger and Vivian Black.

The quality of contraception care in South Africa: evidence from standardised patient visits: a pilot. With Ronelle Burger, Carmen Christian, Ulf Gerdtham and Dumisani Hompashe.

The rise and fall of mortality inequality in South Africa in the HIV era. With Eddy van Doorslaer and Karel Haal.

The impact of expanding affordable health insurance in an unequal health care system. Work with Ronelle Burger and Rulof Burger.

Published papers

Ranchod, Shivani; Adams, Cheryl; Burger, Ronelle; Carvounes, Angeliki; Dreyer, Katherine; Smith; Anja; Stewart, Jacqui; Chloe van Biljon. 2017. South Africa’s hospital sector: old divisions and new developments. In: Padarath A, Barron P (eds.). South African Health Review 2017. Durban: Health Systems Trust.

Rossouw, Laura and Smith, Anja. 2017. A comparable yardstick: adjusting for education bias in South African health system responsiveness ratings. Health Policy and Planning (In Press). A draft copy is available on request.

Ronelle Burger; Ranchod, Shivani; Rossouw, Laura; Smith, Anja. 2016. Strengthening the measurement of quality of public health care. In: In Padarath, A., King, J., Mackie, E.L and Casciola, J (eds.). South African Health Review 2016. Durban: Health Systems Trust.

Smith, Anja; Burger, Ronelle; Claassens, Mareli; Ayles, Helen; Godfrey-Fausset, Peter; Beyers, Nulda. 2016. Gender bias may contribute to missed TB cases in South Africa. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. 20(3):350–356.

Published chapters

Burger, Ronelle; Smith, Anja; Spaull, Nic; Van der Berg, Servaas. 2015. Poverty, fiscal incidence and service delivery in South Africa. In Black, P., Calitz, E., Steenekamp, T. and Siebrits, K. (eds.) Public economics. Oxford University Press: Cape Town, pp. 138 -168.

Smith, Anja; Gerelle, Eric; Berende, Michiel; Chelwa, Grieve. 2012. The technology revolution in microinsurance. In Churchill , C. & Matul, M. (eds). Protecting the poor: A microinsurance compendium Volume II. Geneva: International Labour Office (in association with Munich Re Foundation).

Smith, Anja and Smit, Herman. 2012. New frontiers in microinsurance distribution. In Churchill , C. & Matul, M. (eds). Protecting the poor: A microinsurance compendium Volume II. Geneva: International Labour Office (in association with Munich Re Foundation).