Research areas

Primary research areas

Abel Gwaindepi's research focuses on the political economy of development, particularly in low-income countries. His work examines the role and capacity of states, with a focus on taxation, public expenditure, and public debt as central themes. These themes are also linked to the broad research area of development financing. Abel is also interested in state capacity as it relates to broader public policy and reforms, including land policies and the informal sector. His research primarily centers on emerging market economies in sub-Saharan Africa, employing both country-specific case studies and cross-country comparative analyses. Occasionally, his comparative work extends to other regions, such as Latin America. Drawing on his background in economic history, Abel takes a long-term, interdisciplinary approach to these topics, integrating perspectives and techniques from development economics, economic history, and political economy.

Current research

Domestic revenue mobilization in the context of high informality (PI)

Abel is currently working on a project focused on taxation and development. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is constrained by limited resources in many low-income countries, making domestic resource mobilization a critical area of study. Abel's work explores the challenges and opportunities these countries face, particularly in light of recent debates framing informal sectors as undertaxed amidst national and subnational revenue shortfalls. The project examines central and local government revenue mobilization through both country-specific and cross-country analyses, focusing on formal and informal revenue streams. By analyzing national taxation policies and strategies, the research seeks to unpack the relative significance of various domestic resource mobilization challenges, such as tax evasion by large firms and high-net-worth individuals, corruption, and the potential revenue gaps linked to untaxed informal sectors.

Green financing for Agrifood SMEs (GreenFi) (PI)

GreenFi investigates how and to what extent South African Agrifood SMEs access green financing and how this influences their climate responsiveness. The project achieves this overarching ambition through three related goals guiding the work packages: a) to study how South African state and non-state actors engage with green financing practices and norms adopted internationally; b) to analyze factors influencing Agrifood SMEs' access to green financing, and how they shape their financing mix; c) to analyze how the share of green finance in the SMEs’ financing mix influence their climate responsiveness, including actions, perceptions and attitudes of the Agrifood entrepreneurs.