Kwabena Adu-Ababio's doctoral defense featuring SOUTHMOD research

UNU-WIDER Research Associate Kwabena Adu-Ababio defends his doctoral thesis on 13 September 2024. His dissertation, titled 'Essays on Social Assistance and Tax Administration in Selected Developing Economies', explores critical issues in tax policy and social protection. The defense will feature Prof. Matteo Richiardi, a distinguished expert who has collaborated with the SOUTHMOD team, as the opponent.

Early versions of the chapters in Kwabena's dissertation have been published as WIDER Working Papers, including:

• Estimating tax gaps in Zambia: A bottom-up approach based on audit assessments
• Assessing the impact of an intervention to withhold value-added tax in Zambia
• Microsimulation approaches to studying shocks and social protection in selected developing economies

Kwabena’s research contributes valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in tax administration and social assistance within developing economies.