Dr. Nkurunziza Joseph

Educational Background: • Ph.D. in Applied Statistics in Economics and Policy Analysis, Utrecht University, The Netherlands • Master’s in Applied Statistics in Economics and Insurance, Institut de Statistiques “Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve”, Belgium • Bachelor’s degree in Economics, National University of Rwanda, Rwanda Research Interests and area of expertise : Dr. Joseph Nkurunziza is an economist with a broad interest in Applied Statistics for economics, policy analysis and development planning. Based on logistic models, Generalised Ordered Logit analysis, multilevel approach, Heckprobit models and Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) analysis, he analyzed the Rwandan Policy on education (free education), social security (Community Based Health Insurance, VUP, Girinka program) and rural development (land use consolidation). The development of Human capital is a policy priority for the Government of Rwanda. Joseph Nkurunziza found that policies aimed at poverty reduction and rural development contributes to the willingness of parents to invest in education of their children. The presence of formal paid work at the district level has had a positive impact, confirming that labor market factors are important when deciding whether to allow children to follow education.