L-IFT most current research project is the financial and energy diaries in Uganda (FEDU). Before that we were in charge of six other projects besides conducting some smaller, informal diaries.
Financial and Energy Diaries in Uganda (FEDU) – 2016-17
Country: Uganda Sample size: 588 respondents Duration: 9 months
Research Description: While much research has been done in Uganda regarding access to finance and even access to energy, organisations active in this field do not have access to the required data easily. L-IFT decided to conduct research that would be publicly accessible to the entire financial and energy sectors. The surveys were designed in dialogue with interested actors, and as a result the FEDU data are the go-to reference for those active on the ground.
Past projects
Assessment of Financial Capability of ePSNP Recipients in Ethiopia – 2016-17
Country: Ethiopia Sample size: 1000 respondents Duration: 6 months
Research Description: The WorldBank supports the electronic payment of PSNP, a cash transfer programme in Ethiopia. With the help of L-IFT they wanted to assess the satisfaction of the recipients with the electronic payments and the financial capability of electronic recipients. A survey of over 1000 respondents randomly selected across four regions, Key Informant Interviews and focus group discussions resulted in a rich set of data and a WorldBank publication.
Assessment of Transaction Pools for Digital Financial Services in Ethiopia – 2016-17
Country: Ethiopia Sample size: 40 respondents Duration: 6 months
Research Description: EP hired L-IFT and PHB Development to supply the follow-on work of Ignacio Mas’s assignment for building Ethiopia’s digital financial services. The existing financial transaction pools and the possibility to turn them digital and estimates what is required to transform those with potential was assessed. Furthermore, the potential demand and drivers for adoption and rejection for certain types of digital services was studied.
School Finance – 2016
Country: Kenya Sample size: 90 schools Duration: 4 months
Research Description: Opportunity International supported a partner Microfinancing Institution in Kenya with expanding its EduFinance. They needed to understand what financial services schools currently use and what services they need. Based on a school survey and a survey among parents, L-IFT designed a cashless fee collection of a cash-flow management loan product.
Irrigation diaries for MicroInsurance Academy – 2016
Country: India Sample size: 420 respondents Duration: 4 months
Research Description: The MicroInsurance Academy in India had been collecting data on rain fall, irrigation and other agricultural practices and direct soil moisture measurements through diaries. MIA hired L-IFT to order all the available data, identify which data could be used, develop hypotheses regarding the potential correlations and test these correlations. L-IFT wrote the comprehensive research report suitable for peer review and academic publications.
Youth Livelihoods Diaries – 2015-16
Country: Uganda and Ghana Sample size: 260 respondents Duration: 12 months
Research Description: The MasterCard Foundation invited L-IFT to conduct an in-depth research into youth livelihoods. This Youth Livelihoods Diaries combined research into youth’s ways of getting a job, starting a business, their activity in agriculture and their financial behaviour. The resulting data depict their mixed livelihoods: how young people achieve income from such a variety of sources and how their life consists of a multitude of different activities, cobbling a living together from different sources.
Youth Start impact assessment through financial diaries research – 2014-15
Country: Ethiopia and Togo Sample size: 280 respondents Duration: 9 months
Research Description: YouthStart is a large project implemented by UNCDF in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation with 11 MFI partners in 10 countries. The programme reached 400,000 youth with savings accounts. L-IFT conducted a detailed impact research into the project’s beneficiaries and made recommendations for improvement. The research also provided a deeper understanding of the youth it targeted regarding their behaviour, attitudes, skills and knowledge.