Dablin Mpuuga

Welcome!

I am an Economics PhD student at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. 

My broad research interests are in Development and Labor Economics and how they interconnect for economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. 

I am a 2023/24 recipient of the prestigious Gail R. Wilensky Fellowship in Health Economics at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and a 2022/23 STARS Fellow and Visiting Fellow at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University. I have worked as a consultant for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) under the 50x2030 initiative and as a Research Associate at the Economic Policy Research Centre, Makerere University, Uganda.  

My current research examines how out-of-pocket payments for health care services exceed the threshold for household financial catastrophe amidst health shocks like a pandemic and the impoverishing effect of these out-of-pocket payments on household welfare. My other research examines the gendered effects of land ownership on household food security and welfare. I am also investigating the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and health insurance coverage in Uganda. Under the STAAARS+ fellowship, I have worked on linking crop productivity, market participation, and technology use among smallholder farmers in Uganda, with mentorship from Professors Duncan Boughton (MSU) and Rui Benfica (IFPRI).