Francis Annan
Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley
Francis Annan is an Assistant Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley ARE, a Faculty Research Fellow at the NBER, an Affiliated Professor at BREAD, J-PAL, and CEGA, the Scientific Lead and Co-Chair of the Retail Finance Distribution (ReFinD) Research Initiative at ISSER, and a Fellow at the Center for Development Economics and Policy (CDEP) and the Center for Environmental Economics and Policy (CEEP). Prior to UC Berkeley, Francis was an Assistant Professor of Economics, Risk, and Insurance at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. His research centers on development economics and microeconomic issues, with a focus on digital financial markets, public distribution programs, insurance, and firms in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and the United States. Francis received his Ph.D. in Sustainable Development (Economics Track) from Columbia University.
Recent work by Francis Annan
-
Mobile communication as mental health policy: Lessons from Ghana during COVID-19
Research on Ghana found that providing low-income adults with small, regular mobile communication credits significantly reduced mental distress and domestic violence during COVID-19.
Published 27.08.25
-
Partnering with business for development economics research
How can academics partner with the private sector to conduct research and have impact?
Published 31.07.25
-
Mobile money in Ghana: Lessons for boosting financial inclusion
Improving transparency, increasing competition, and addressing gender disparities are key to reducing fraud and strengthening trust in mobile money markets.
Published 29.07.25
-
Reducing misconduct in Ghana’s mobile money markets benefitted all
Information is power: a low-cost transparency programme reduced vendor misconduct and increased market efficiency in Ghana’s mobile money market.
Published 03.06.24