Global perspectives at the Africa conference and CAGE launch event

Global perspectives at the Africa conference and CAGE launch event

Over 50 national and international delegates attended the CAGE Africa conference and Crafts Lecture - and found out more about CAGE’s research ambitions.

Devesh Rustagi (University of Warwick) opened the event with a presentation on his work around successful cooperation using examples from the Arsi Oroma people in Ethiopia.

His analysis of communities and forest management demonstrated the interdependence between formal rules and civic values for better outcomes – highlighting the benefit of sustained cooperation and the need to interact with each other.

This was followed by a presentation on managing cash flows by Carolina Kansikas (University of Warwick). Using examples from rural households in Kenya, she discussed her research into cash flow design and the challenge for households in near and extreme poverty.

How and when the US came to have such a large influence in Africa was the focus of Leah Gardner’s (London School of Economics) presentation. She highlighted her work on the strategic importance of Africa during the interwar and post war period.

Nonso Obikili from UNESCO focussed on the role of the environment in shaping African history and the way crop choices play a part in political organisation.

Leonard Wantchekon, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and founder of the African School of Economics delivered the 2025 Crafts Lecture. Discussing his programme work and political activism, he focussed on the importance of state capacity to economic growth in developing nations.

• View his presentationLink opens in a new window and listen to his lecture: Building State Capacity: The Role of Institutional Experimentation and Scientific Innovation

The highlight of the conference was the launch of the next phase of the CAGE Research Centre. Setting out his vision for the next five years, Centre Director Mirko Draca discussed the unique position of the centre in contributing to evidence based policy.

Planning and the UK housing system is one of CAGE’s flagship areas of work. Project lead Nikhil Datta showcased the work of his team in data development which sets out to address the current system and its impact on housing supply and affordability.

Developing the next generation of economists is another key strand of the centre's mission. Sam McLoughlin from Discover Economics, a Royal Economic Society initiative ended the event by talking about their partnership with CAGE, the equality gap in economics careers, and the way economic theory and research can be transformed in a way that is engaging and accessible to allLink opens in a new window.