New survey system

Over the past few months, I’ve developed a computer system for reimbursed mobile surveys (RMS). Interviews are conducted via SMS and respondents are paid through the M-Pesa mobile cash system. In collaboration with Roos van der Haer and Niranjan Sahoo, I’ve put together a working paper describing the technology and we’ve manged to deploy the system to India. Two more deployments are underway in Afghanistan and Kenya. The focus so far has been on the technology, but great new substantive research is on the horizon for the next conference season! I’ve also published some papers: The second dissertation paper has appeared in “Conflict Management and Peace Science” and collaborative work with Andrew Linke and Halvard Buhaug was published in the “International Studies Review”. The conflict zone prediction (see below) has been conditionally accepted in “Political Science Research and Methods”.