Previously my research has been funded through a predoctoral training grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) and the Tsogolo la Thanzi project, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Research Interests
2011 UAPS Conference, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Broadly, my research lies at the nexus of family demography and development. I also have engaged in a number of projects related to survey methodology and statistical analysis.
Current Research Projects (email me for working papers)
Having recently completed my doctoral dissertation on child fostering in the era of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, I am working on a number of manuscripts and collaborations, including:
Differential probabilities of foster child residence across households during the African AIDS epidemic
Child fostering---the sending of children to be reared by non-natal families for a temporary period of time---is a social institution that plays a pivotal role in safeguarding children and families in sub-Saharan Africa. The AIDS epidemic and resulting surge in the number of orphans in the region has raised considerable questions about whether child fostering systems are being overwhelmed. By examining the differential probabilities of fostering across households, this study establishes the normative patterns of fostering across socio-economic groups in 20 sub-Saharan African countries. It then goes on to examine if and how those patterns change over the course of each country's unique AIDS epidemic. Despite evidence of struggle in certain countries, results, on the whole, indicate the remarkable resilience of fostering systems in the majority of countries, despite high adult HIV prevalence levels.
Flexibility and Functionality of Extended Family Child Care: Evidence from Malawi
This study utilizes qualitative interview data that I, and a team of Malawian interviewers, collected in November of 2011 to investigate the quality child fostering from the viewpoint of families that host children. Using data from semi-structured interviews with Malawians foster families, this study provides an in-depth account of families’ capacity to care for additional children, despite often doing so under less than optimal financial circumstances. Results advance our understanding of the norms dictating child placement by demonstrating that families often volunteer to host children according to a hierarchy of resources. Such a hierarchy affords families an enormous amount of agency in the fostering process; a finding that contradicts the idea that fostering is an unexpected burden on caregivers. RQDA was used to code and analyze the interview data.
Interview Length and Data Quality in the Demographic and Health Surveys (With Yoonjoung Choi, Madeleine Short-Fabic, and Jacob Adetunji)
Population-based health surveys are especially important data sources for countries with relatively weak health management information and civil and vital registration systems. These countries, the preponderance of which are low- and middle- income, gather an increasingly large amount of information through well-established survey programs, including the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. As information needs have grown, survey scopes have expanded, resulting in longer questionnaires and interviews. The increase in interview time concerns survey implementers and data users due to its potentially negative impact on data quality. Few studies, however, have examined the relationship between interview length and data quality. To begin to fill this gap, we examine interview length and data quality in the context of the DHS. Using the most recent DHS data from 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, we assess the associations between interview length and four data quality variables measuring inconsistent and incomplete responses. Results show statistically significant positive associations between interview inconsistent reporting but no relationship between interview length and incomplete reporting. We conclude that survey implementers and data users are right to be concerned; data quality suffers as survey length, and thereby interview length, increases.
Childrearing and childbearing: Fostering and reductions in ideal family size among young adults in Malawi (With Jenny Trinitapoli)
Voluntary child fostering—the practice of placing children in other households—is a long-standing practice throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that child fostering diffuses childrearing responsibilities, thereby contributing to the high levels of fertility found in the region. However, recent regional dynamics threaten to alter this relationship. Some scholars have speculated that the AIDS epidemic is eroding community and familial networks—institutions that are fundamental to voluntary child fostering practices. Using an ongoing panel study in Malawi, this study aims to quantitatively model the relationship between fostering responsibilities and fertility preferences in order to further understand how this relationship is currently operating.
Differential probabilities of foster child residence across households during the African AIDS epidemic
Child fostering---the sending of children to be reared by non-natal families for a temporary period of time---is a social institution that plays a pivotal role in safeguarding children and families in sub-Saharan Africa. The AIDS epidemic and resulting surge in the number of orphans in the region has raised considerable questions about whether child fostering systems are being overwhelmed. By examining the differential probabilities of fostering across households, this study establishes the normative patterns of fostering across socio-economic groups in 20 sub-Saharan African countries. It then goes on to examine if and how those patterns change over the course of each country's unique AIDS epidemic. Despite evidence of struggle in certain countries, results, on the whole, indicate the remarkable resilience of fostering systems in the majority of countries, despite high adult HIV prevalence levels.
Flexibility and Functionality of Extended Family Child Care: Evidence from Malawi
This study utilizes qualitative interview data that I, and a team of Malawian interviewers, collected in November of 2011 to investigate the quality child fostering from the viewpoint of families that host children. Using data from semi-structured interviews with Malawians foster families, this study provides an in-depth account of families’ capacity to care for additional children, despite often doing so under less than optimal financial circumstances. Results advance our understanding of the norms dictating child placement by demonstrating that families often volunteer to host children according to a hierarchy of resources. Such a hierarchy affords families an enormous amount of agency in the fostering process; a finding that contradicts the idea that fostering is an unexpected burden on caregivers. RQDA was used to code and analyze the interview data.
Interview Length and Data Quality in the Demographic and Health Surveys (With Yoonjoung Choi, Madeleine Short-Fabic, and Jacob Adetunji)
Population-based health surveys are especially important data sources for countries with relatively weak health management information and civil and vital registration systems. These countries, the preponderance of which are low- and middle- income, gather an increasingly large amount of information through well-established survey programs, including the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. As information needs have grown, survey scopes have expanded, resulting in longer questionnaires and interviews. The increase in interview time concerns survey implementers and data users due to its potentially negative impact on data quality. Few studies, however, have examined the relationship between interview length and data quality. To begin to fill this gap, we examine interview length and data quality in the context of the DHS. Using the most recent DHS data from 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, we assess the associations between interview length and four data quality variables measuring inconsistent and incomplete responses. Results show statistically significant positive associations between interview inconsistent reporting but no relationship between interview length and incomplete reporting. We conclude that survey implementers and data users are right to be concerned; data quality suffers as survey length, and thereby interview length, increases.
Childrearing and childbearing: Fostering and reductions in ideal family size among young adults in Malawi (With Jenny Trinitapoli)
Voluntary child fostering—the practice of placing children in other households—is a long-standing practice throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that child fostering diffuses childrearing responsibilities, thereby contributing to the high levels of fertility found in the region. However, recent regional dynamics threaten to alter this relationship. Some scholars have speculated that the AIDS epidemic is eroding community and familial networks—institutions that are fundamental to voluntary child fostering practices. Using an ongoing panel study in Malawi, this study aims to quantitatively model the relationship between fostering responsibilities and fertility preferences in order to further understand how this relationship is currently operating.