All projects and research studies

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, and related issues across more than 35 countries in Africa. Seven rounds of surveys were conducted between 1999 and 2016, and results of Round 7 surveys (2016/2017) are currently being released. Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples of 2,400 respondents. The research focuses on governance, economic, social and political developments in these countries.  

RARE is a research project that investigates the relationship between resilience and land rights in the context of pastoral and agro-pastoral climate change adaptation in Kenya. The objective of the project is to ensure secure and peaceful access to land for climate change adaptation and thereby the resilience of all Kenyan citizens.

The research focused on the 'Roll-out of Adolescents Universal Health Scheme (Eduafya) in Kenya and Implications for their Access and Use of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services.' The research sought to investigate whether the roll-out of adolescents’ universal health scheme (under the National Hospital Insurance Fund - NHIF) has enhanced access to and use of adolescent-friendly and focused services (preventive, age, gender and need-specific) in Kenya. Further, the study identified barriers and emerging gaps (policy, facility-level, societal, gender etc.) that promote or hinder adolescents’ interaction, access and consistent use of sexual and reproductive health services. The research focused on diverse populations of adolescents, parents and guardians, health care providers, school heads, and the NHIF adolescents’ scheme managers.

This project examines how decentralisation impacts relations between citizens and the state and the incentives of elites to provide public goods. The study analyses the conditions under which elites constrain or support reforms that promote the provision of public goods. Finally, the project identifies lessons that sub-Saharan African countries (Kenya and Zimbabwe) and those in the Arab world (Morocco and Tunisia) can learn from each other on how to build inclusive citizenship.

The County Capacity Study is an initiative of USAID’s Agile and Harmonized Assistance for Devolved Institutions (AHADI), and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi. A team of researchers based at IDS, in consultation with AHADI, carry out yearly assessment. So far three assessments have been undertaken in collaboration with AHADI-USAID. The study seeks to: examine the situation in a broad array of issues on capacity for service delivery and performance in the counties; help identify existing capacity strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for performance by both the County Executive and the Assembly; generate baseline data for monitoring and evaluating county progress as AHADI implements the capacity development program; generate recommendations, where appropriate, arising from identified constraints in the CCI areas.