Revealing Demand for Pro-poor Innovations

State of the Science Conference #DIL2014

MARCH 7, 2014 • WASHINGTON, DC

Program

There are many barriers to the adoption and diffusion of promising innovations in resource-constrained environments. New technologies may be inappropriately designed, unaffordable, or inaccessible due to weak supply chains. While some of these problems require policy reform, others could be remedied if engineers had better information about the needs and preferences of low-income users and consumers. Remote and low-resource settings often lack the infrastructure required for intensive consumer data collection. Instead, development practitioners have traditionally relied on small-scale, infrequent surveys and focus groups to capture households’ self-reported preferences. These methods are prone to measurement errors, and can be costly to implement. More recently, social scientists and engineers have begun using new tools and techniques to better capture consumer demand and market information from underserved communities. The conference will review some of these novel approaches and critically analyze different cases studies of technology deployment in developing countries.

Download the conference white paper at dil.berkeley.edu/news-events/conferences

Agenda

Registration & Breakfast 8.15 AM – 9.00 AM

Welcome Remarks Edward Montgomery (Dean, McCourt School of Public Policy) Robert Groves (Provost, Georgetown University)

9.00 AM – 9.10 AM

Introduction to the Development Impact Lab Temina Madon (Managing Director, DIL)

9.10 AM – 9.15 AM

Keynote Speech David Ferguson (Deputy Director, Office of Science and Technology, USAID)

9.15 AM – 9.35 AM

EMERGING TOOLS FOR UNDERSTANDING DEMAND In recent years, social scientists and engineers have developed innovative techniques to better capture the needs and preferences of potential users from underserved communities. This session will review four of these novel approaches.

Generating Data through Field Experiments Pascaline Dupas (Assistant Professor of Economics, Stanford University)

9.35 AM – 10.15 AM

Sensing Technologies for Data Collection and Monitoring Patrick Pannuto (PhD Candidate in Computer Science, University of Michigan)

10.15 AM – 10.55 AM

Break 10.55 AM – 11.10 AM

Understanding Demand through Big Data Nathan Eagle (CEO, Jana)

11.10 AM – 11.50 AM

Human-centered Technology Design Susan Wyche (Assistant Professor of Telecommunications, Information Studies and Media, Michigan State University)

11.50 AM – 12.30 PM

Lunch 12.30 PM – 1.30 PM

Welcome Back Billy Jack (Director, gui2de)

1.30 PM – 1.35 PM

CASE STUDIES IN CONSUMER-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY DESIGN This session will feature real-world case studies of technology deployment in developing countries. Drawing from their own experience, presenters will review different challenges in terms of product design, marketing, and adoption by local communities.

Sanergy Building sustainable sanitation in urban slums

1.35 PM – 2.10 PM

Lumeter Networks Enabling networks of micro-grids for efficient delivery of electricity

2.10 PM – 2.45 PM

Digital Green Helping smallholder farmers share best practices through ICT

2.45 PM – 3.20 PM

Break 3.20 PM – 3.35 PM

Flashcast Bringing smart transit to congested cities

3.35 PM – 4.10 PM

Gram Power Smart grids for energy access

4.10 PM – 4.45 PM

Agenda

Next Steps: Beyond Understanding Consumer Demand Ticora Jones (HESN Program Director, USAID) – moderator Jeffrey Asher (President, Consumer Product Testing Consultants) Bruce Baikie (Executive Director, Inveneo) Laura Hosman (Assistant Professor of Political Science, Illinois Institute of Technology)

4.45 PM – 5.15 PM

Closing Remarks Guillaume Kroll (Evaluation Coordinator, DIL)

5.15 PM – 5.20 PM

Reception 5.20 PM – 6.00 PM

CASE STUDY PRESENTATIONS WILL REVIEWED AND DEBRIEFED BY: ** Priya Jaisinghani (Deputy Director of Innovation and Development Alliances, USAID) **

** Catherine Wolfram (Professor of Business Administration, UC Berkeley) ** ** Amos Winter (Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT) **

Case Studies

Sanergy builds healthy, prosperous communities by making hygienic sanitation affordable and accessible throughout Africa's informal settlements, for everyone, forever. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Sanergy franchises low-cost, high-quality sanitation facilities to residents of urban slums. The organization provides critical support services, including a daily waste collection service. Sanergy then converts the waste into useful byproducts, such as organic fertilizer, which it sells to Kenyan farms. Lumeter’s vision is to provide a sophisticated Pay as You Go (PAYG) technology solution to energy companies in order to enable them to reach millions of underserved customers. Lumeter’s Solution consists of affordable meters at each house, and at different places across the mini-grid. The meters monitor and control consumption, look for tampering and are controlled via codes obtained from a cloud-based accounting software. The technology is designed to be affordable to even the poorest customers.

Digital Green believes in transforming lives of the poor around the world by bringing together technology and social organization. DG works with partners to effectively communicate identified good practices to the community using locally produced videos and mediated dissemination. DG’s innovative communication approach focuses on low cost and effective peer-to-peer learning processes, thus empowering poor households to increase their productivity and incomes in a sustainable manner. FlashCast is an innovative Nairobi-based technology startup focusing on in-vehicle transit-advertising. FlashCast uses connected, location-aware displays to tap into captive audiences of transit passengers during long commutes. Useful, relevant, and interactive content is served through the in-vehicle display, and responses and interactions are enabled by free, 2-way SMS. Gram Power sets up energy efficient Smart Microgrids in remote areas to provide on-demand, reliable electricity to telecom towers and rural households with an affordable prepaid purchase model. The Gram Power model helps rural consumers bypass conventional grid supplies and costs substantially less than what they would spend on alternatives such as kerosene.

Bios Amos Winter | Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering | MIT Amos Winter is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. His research focuses on the marriage of mechanical design theory and user-centered product design to create simple, elegant technological solutions for highly constrained environments. His work includes design for developing/emerging markets, agricultural equipment, water systems for purification and irrigation, and assistive devices. He was the recipient of the 2012 ASME/Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal and was named one of the MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 (TR35) for 2013. Billy Jack | Co-founder & Co-director | gui2de Billy Jack is an Associate Professor in the Economics Department at Georgetown University, where he is currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies. He is the co-founder and co-director of gui2de, the Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation, Development and Evaluation, which conducts empirical field-based research to assess the impact and effectiveness of interventions and policies aimed at empowering individuals in developing countries to improve their lives. Previously, he held positions on the Joint Committee on Taxation of the US Congress, the IMF, the Australian National University, and the University of Sydney. He holds a BSc in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Western Australia, and an MPhil and DPhil in Economics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Bruce Baikie | Executive Director | Inveneo Bruce Baikie is Inveneo’s Executive Director and the Founder of Green WiFi. He leads Inveneo with extensive experience in the energy and telecom industries, including 17 years in Silicon Valley. He has a background in engineering and substantial experience implementing solar powered ICT4D projects. His areas of expertise include: wireless networking, eco-data centers, DC power, and solar power. His educational background includes a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and advanced studies in International Business from the University of Wisconsin.

Catherine Wolfram | Professor of Business Administration | UC Berkeley Catherine Wolfram is the Cora Jane Flood Professor of Business Administration at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. She is also the Co-Director of the Energy Institute at Haas and a Faculty Director of The E2e Project. She has published extensively on the economics of energy markets. Catherine has studied the electricity industry around the world and has analyzed the effects of environmental regulation, including climate change mitigation policies, on the energy sector. She is currently implementing several randomized control trials to evaluate energy programs in the US, Kenya and India. David Ferguson | Deputy Director | USAID Office of Science and Technology David Ferguson is Deputy Director of USAID’s Science and Technology office with a particular emphasis on open innovations and the Grand Challenges for Development program. Before joining USAID, he worked as a consultant at the nexus of development, technology, and the private sector. His first career was 27 years at AT&T where he created and ran AT&T’s Professional Services Division, developing it into a US$200M profitable entity. His technical expertise includes ICT for development, economic growth through private sector engagement, and government technology and telecommunications policy and regulation. Mr. Ferguson holds MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Stanford University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. Dennis Ochieng | Operations Director | Sanergy Dennis Ochieng is the Operations Director of Sanergy, a social enterprise in Nairobi, Kenya that provides hygienic sanitation in urban slums. Dennis oversees Sanergy’s franchise sales, operations and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) work. Dennis has 10 years’ managerial experience, most recently at Marie Stopes International in South Sudan, where he was responsible for M&E for a variety of health delivery programs. Dennis holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Moi University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Eldoret University.

Guillaume Kroll | Evaluation Coordinator | Development Impact Lab Guillaume Kroll supports the technology for development programs at the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA). He also leads the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences, a new effort to strengthen scientific integrity in empirical social science research. Prior to joining CEGA, Guillaume was a Davis Projects for Peace grantee in Haiti. He also interned with Trickle Up, Innovations for Poverty Action Malawi, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the Belgian Embassy to the US. He holds an MS in Global Affairs from NYU and a BA and MA in Management Sciences from the University of Liege. Jeffrey Asher | President | Consumer Product Testing Consultants Jeffrey Asher retired recently after over 21 years at Consumer Reports, where he was their Technical Director and Vice President. Previous to this, Jeffrey was a fluid mechanics researcher and held various management posts at the General Electric's Corporate Research Center. He is currently assisting the MIT’s Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE) in the evaluation of solar lighting devices. Jeffrey is serving on his local School Board where he is a driving force for increasing STEM offerings down to pre-K. Dr. Asher received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University. Jeremy Gordon | CEO | FlashCast Ventures Ltd Jeremy Gordon is a product designer and entrepreneur based in Nairobi, Kenya. Jeremy graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Political Science, and is co-founder of FlashCast (www.FlashCa.st) and Echo Mobile (www.EchoMobile.org). Laura Hosman | Assistant Professor of Political Science | Illinois Institute of Technology Laura Hosman is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). She received her PhD from the University of Southern California. Prior to joining IIT, she was a Ciriacy-Wantrup Postdoctoral Fellow in National Resource Economics and Political Economy at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Hosman’s research specializations include information and communications technologies (ICT), international development, public policy, and renewable energy.

Mitra Ardron | CEO | Lumeter Networks Mitra Ardon is CEO of Lumeter Networks, which has developed an affordable pre-paid electricity meter that allows renewable energy companies to provide power to the off-grid rural poor in developing countries. Prior to Lumeter, Mitra supported and incubated innovators with ideas that have practicable potential for sustainability and poverty alleviation. Mitra previously managed a solar company pioneering community purchasing in Australia, developed core protocols for the internet, and co-founded the Association for Progressive Communications. He has three decades of cleantech, internet and emerging market commercialization experience. Nathan Eagle | CEO & Co-founder | Jana Nathan Eagle is the co-founder and CEO of Jana (formerly txteagle), a company that helps global brands connect directly with people in emerging growth markets via mobile phones. Jana rewards consumers with mobile airtime in return for taking market research surveys and trying out new products. In addition, Eagle is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Harvard University. His research involves engineering computational tools, designed to explore how the petabytes of data generated about human movements, financial transactions, and communication patterns can be used for social good. Eagle holds a BS and two MS degrees from Stanford's School of Engineering, and a PhD from MIT. Pascaline Dupas | Assistant Professor of Economics | Stanford University Pascaline Dupas is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Stanford University. Previously, she held appointments at Dartmouth College and at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a development economist studying the determinants of and returns to human capital accumulation (health and education) and technology adoption in sub-Saharan Africa. Dupas completed her PhD in Economics at the Ecole des Hautes Études et Sciences Sociales in Paris in 2006. She is a Research Associate at the NBER, a Fellow of the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD), an affiliate of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the Center for Effective Global Action, and Innovations for Poverty Action.

Patrick Pannuto | PhD Candidate in Computer Science | University of Michigan Patrick Pannuto is a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Michigan, working closely with Professor Prabal Dutta. He specializes in wireless and embedded systems with a particular interest in solving the "last inch" problem – bringing connectivity and intelligence to all of the everyday devices, surfaces, and infrastructure that we interact with every day. Professor Dutta’s Lab11 takes a vertical slice of computer engineering, solving complex problems at each layer of the stack to build novel end-to-end systems. Priya Jaisinghani | Director of Mobile Solutions | USAID Priya Jaisinghani leads USAID’s efforts to leverage mobile technology to enhance development outcomes. In particular, she led the agency’s conceptualization and realization of the Better than Cash Alliance. Priya oversees programs across Africa, Asia and Latin America that aim to reduce the cost of mobile broadband, expand access to safe and reliable mobile payments platform, and utilize mobile technology for data collection and smarter program design. From 2005 to 2009, she served as Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she helped to launch a $1 billion Global Development Program. Priya received her Bachelor’s in Commerce from the University of Virginia and received her Master’s in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Rajesh Veeraraghavan | Co-founder | Digital Green Rajesh Veeraraghavan is a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley’s School of Information. His dissertation research, which is based on 12 months of participant observation, interviews and surveys, examines a bold "open government" experiment of a South Indian State (Andhra Pradesh) to eliminate corruption at the last mile. Prior to his doctoral work, he was an Associate Researcher at Microsoft Research India, where his work focused on building appropriate technologies for agriculture. His experience at Microsoft led him to setting up Digital Green in 2006. Rajesh also worked as a software developer at Microsoft in the US for several years. He holds advanced degrees in Computer Science, Economics and Management.

Susan Wyche | Assistant Professor | Michigan State University Susan Wyche is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University. She is also affiliated with MSU's Global Center for Food Systems Innovation funded by USAID in their Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN). Her research focuses on human computer interaction and ICT4D. Wyche received her PhD in Human-Centered Computing from Georgia Tech, an MS from Cornell and an undergraduate degree in Industrial Design from Carnegie Mellon University. Temina Madon | Managing Director | Development Impact Lab Temina Madon is the Executive Director of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), where she provides leadership in scientific development, partnerships, and outreach, and acts as the Managing Director of DIL. Before joining CEGA, she worked as a Science Policy Advisor for the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center, where she focused on enhancing research capacity in developing countries. She also served as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow for the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, managing an extensive portfolio of global health policy issues. She holds a PhD from UC Berkeley and an BS from MIT. Ticora Jones | HESN Program Director | USAID Ticora V. Jones is Senior Advisor and Program Director in USAID’s Office of Science and Technology. Ticora manages the Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN), a new university engagement program established in 2012. As a AAAS Diplomacy, Security and Development Fellow, she helped establish an agency-wide agenda for science & technology through policy and programming designed to elevate USAID's presence in this area. Dr. Jones earned her BS degree in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT and her PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Yashraj Khaitan | Co-founder and CEO | Gram Power After completing his undergraduate program, Yashraj opted out of his Master’s program at Berkeley to start Gram Power in India. During his time in Berkeley, he was involved in cutting-edge solar cell research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and help founding the Engineers Without Borders Berkeley Chapter. He has 5 years of prior work experience in his family business in India. He is currently involved in product and business development and heads strategy design to scale Gram Power.

The Development Impact Lab (DIL) is a global consortium of research institutes, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and industry partners committed to advancing international development through science and technology innovations. With the support of USAID, DIL is formalizing the application of academic science and engineering disciplines to social and economic development. This approach is embodied in a new field called Development Engineering. This system of inquiry and practice combines engineering and the natural sciences with insights from economics and the social sciences to generate sustainable, technology-based solutions to development challenges. The Lab is headquartered at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, where it draws upon the innovative work and leadership of the Blum Center for Developing Economies and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA). It is closely allied with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, an unparalleled scientific research facility supported by the US Department of Energy. The DIL consortium is part of a constellation of seven Development Labs that comprise USAID’s Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN). These unique research centers “harness the intellectual power of great American and international academic institutions and catalyze the development and application of new science, technology, and engineering approaches and tools to solve some of the world’s most challenging development problems.”

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) works to improve lives and generate opportunities globally through innovative research that drives effective social policy and development programming. CEGA’s faculty affiliates use two powerful techniques—rigorous evaluation and economic analysis—to measure the impacts of large-scale development projects. The Center integrates business and economic approaches with expertise in agriculture, public health, education, and the environment. The Blum Center for Developing Economies seeks to focus the energy and talent of students and faculty to find solutions to the most pressing needs of the poor. Today, the Blum Center spans across four University of California campuses, catalyzing university action on global challenges by creating innovative curricula and accelerating new technology approaches. Among many other initiatives, the center runs the largest minor on campus, Global Poverty and Practice, and the BigIdeas@Berkeley social entrepreneurship competition for students. The Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation, Development and Evaluation conducts empirical field-based research to assess the impact and effectiveness of interventions and policies aimed at empowering individuals in developing countries to improve their lives. Major research themes include governance and accountability, the promotion of agency in the delivery of health, education, and other public services, the role of mobile technology in development, and financial development and integration.