Biographical note

Having a strong interest in regional development challenges and a background in sociology and international development studies, Jonathan visited Uganda in 2016 to find an emergent Digital Financial Services (DFS) industry developing on the back of a mobile phone revolution. Mobile phone technology and mobile money is advancing at a rate far beyond the establishment of more traditional, core infrastructure services like public water and sewerage services, electricity and access to medical care. “I am interested in understanding how the new technology of mobile money is changing social relations and regional economies and its potential to impact the dynamic economic transition underway in East Africa.”

Research topic

The emergence of mobile money as a social and economic change agent in rural East Africa

Research outline

This research is multi-disciplinary in scope considering social and economic factors that drive user adoption, use value, and novel forms of exchange. The research project aims to understand why users adopt mobile money as an exchange mechanism and what social and economic impacts occur as a result of its use. The research is situated in rural, regional Uganda where mobile money is seeing strong adoption rates. The research utilises a mixed methods approach drawing on user experiences as well as empirical data to establish a more complete picture of the impact of this technology in a rural setting. 

Research questions

• How does mobile money transform the livelihoods of the poor toward greater economic prosperity?
• How do the rural poor use mobile money to improve their economic and social wellbeing?
• What is the potential for wide scale mobile money services in addressing poverty alleviation?

Supervisory Team

Professor Stewart Lockie

Professor Natalie Stoeckl

Video

Mobile money in Uganda (2018)