The PICAIS says goodbye to Fellow Dr. Edward Asiedu

Dr. Edward Asiedu is a development economist and senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Business School. He researches  into the causes of poverty as well as the impact of political action. From April to October 2022, he completed a research stay at the Chair of Development Economics (Prof. Michael Grimm) and, by means of the scholarship, conducted research on "The Effect of Poverty on Children's Behavior. Field Experiments in Ghanaian Villages". The project focused on measures that are needed so that poor children do not become poor parents and to what extent options can be created with the help of new, digital platforms. In Passau, he advanced experimental methods to establish whether children in African countries who grow up in poor households do not only start out from a place of disadvantage but also make decisions that will have long-term negative consequences for them.

In May, he published a study titled "Economic Recovery but Stagnating Mental Health During a Global Pandemic? Evidence from Ghana and South Africa" in the journal "Review of Income and Wealth". This study examines the mental and economic well-being of the urban poor in Ghana and South Africa between the COVID-19 lockdown and the "new normal" one year later. His publication can be accessed here.

Dr. Edward Asiedu furthermore formed part in the symposium "Digitalization of Africa - Can digitalization address development bottlenecks?" held in July, where he presented some aspects of his research. The workshop lead by Dr. Asiedu and Prof. Jann Lay from the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg focused on development bottlenecks in sub-Saharan Africa and discussed possible solutions through digitalization. Dr. Asiedu's focus during this event were measures to promote digitalization and their effectiveness.

The Digital Research Magazine of the University of Passau interviewed Dr. Asiedu. If you wish to get insights into his research and research background, you can find the article on this page.

It was a pleasure to host Dr. Asiedu as our first Research-in-Residence Fellow, to collaborate and network with him. We hope he had an enjoyable and enriching stay. Dr. Edward Asiedu remains closely interlinked with the University of Passau as a Research Affiliate. Through his Fellowship he now actively participates in the Research Training Group "Digital Platform Ecosystems" (DPE). Among other things, he will lead sub-projects in Ghana together with Prof. Michael Grimm.

We wish Dr. Asiedu the best for his future and hope for a further great collaboration.

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The Passau International Centre for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies is the central platform for academic excellence, interdisciplinary research and network-building at the University of Passau. Since the summer semester 2021, it has been promoting research aligned with the University's strategic guiding themes: digitalisation, sustainable development and Europe. In organising two calls for applications every year, it supports innovative interdisciplinary project and event ideas both financially and by providing the necessary infrastructure.

An overview of all current and former fellows can be found on the website.