African Scholar Spotlight: Takudzwa Mutize

This post is part of our ongoing series showcasing the work and perspectives of economists from the African continent who are leading randomized evaluations. Through our African Scholars Program, we hope to help create more opportunities for African researchers to advance the research agenda on the continent through randomized evaluations. In this spotlight, we speak with Dr. Takudzwa Mutize of the University of the Free State.

What drew you into the field of development economics and, in particular, working with impact evaluations? 

Growing up in Zimbabwe, I witnessed the country go through repeated periods of economic instability, marked by hyperinflation, persistently high unemployment, currency changes, and widespread shortages. While I did not fully understand the economics behind these challenges at the time, I could clearly see their effects on people's lives.

Later on, I learned that Zimbabwe often created well-written visions, national development plans, and ambitious targets. Yet, many citizens experience a very different reality - one that frequently fell short of these aspirations. This gap between how leaders designed policies and how people experienced them motivated me to study economics.

My interest in impact evaluation emerged later. After my graduate studies and consulting roles with international organizations, I noticed that many policy discussions relied on assumptions about what worked. In 2024, I attended a lecture on impact evaluations by Clare Hofmeyr, the deputy executive director at J-PAL Africa. I remember thinking: "I need to get into this." 

What are your broad research interests?

My research interests lie in labor markets, urban economics, and the economics of education, with a focus on Southern Africa. As my interests have shifted, I’ve examined issues such as internal migration, talent retention in South African metropolitan areas, the informal economy in both South Africa and Zimbabwe, and most recently foundational learning. 

The connecting thread across these areas is how local conditions shape whether interventions and policies actually translate into the intended outcomes. In many cases, the effectiveness of a program depends not only on its design, but also on the context in which it is implemented. A skills program designed in Pretoria may fail in Bulawayo for reasons that have little to do with the intervention itself. 

What research questions are you trying to answer? How are J-PAL initiative funds helping you to do so?

What makes the Zimbabwean context particularly interesting is the contrast between policy and practice. I used proposal development grant funds from J-PAL’s Learning for All Initiative for a project titled “Can TV-Based Lessons Improve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Rural Zimbabwe?” It aims to test whether television-based foundational learning lessons can support literacy and numeracy outcomes of pupils in rural Zimbabwe.  

In Zimbabwe, television-based learning is explicitly supported by government policy, including the National Ministry of Information Communication Technology. Yet during our feasibility fieldwork in December 2025, we did not visit a single school that had a television-based lesson. The challenge, therefore, is not one of policy approval, but of implementation.

What do you see as the big unanswered research questions that RCTs may be able to help answer? Does this relate to any projects you are excited to work on in the future?

I believe the question of how young people find and maintain stable employment is one of the most important research questions to be asking in Southern Africa over the next decade. The region’s working-age population is growing faster than its formal labor market can absorb. What I find particularly under-explored is what happens after young people complete a training program or leave a work placement. Between these programs and stable employment lies a long, and often invisible, period during which many leave the labor force altogether, or cycle between informal and precarious forms of work. 

How can organizations like J-PAL continue to build on the support they provide to local researchers in running randomized evaluations?

Building partnerships with government ministries and implementing organizations is a challenge. This is often where projects succeed or fail. I believe J-PAL can help bridge this gap through structured guidance on institutional processes and by facilitating peer learning among scholars.

J-PAL has played a key role in connecting researchers and supporting their participation in conferences. For researchers based at African universities, where these opportunities often require self-funding, this support can make a significant difference. Expanding opportunities for this kind of engagement, particularly for early-career researchers, would further strengthen J-PAL’s contribution to research capacity on the continent.

What advice would you give to scholars who are considering applying to J-PAL for funding?

Lead with the problem, not the methodology. The methodology should follow from a genuine, specific, contextually grounded question. Reviewers can tell the difference between a researcher trying to test something they care about and a researcher trying to find a context for a method they already know.

Take the fieldwork stage seriously. It can be tempting to view preliminary fieldwork as a formality before the real research begins, but in our case it was where the project took shape. The fieldwork helped us identify the policy-implementation gap, identify the correct measurement tool, and establish a relationship with our implementing partner. 

What surprised you the most about how the funding process works?

I had assumed, going in, that the process would be more transactional than it has turned out to be. The LAI team has provided thoughtful and valuable feedback at each stage. I was also surprised by the weight placed on the partnerships and implementation component of the research design.  They care about methodological rigor, but they are equally concerned with whether the necessary institutional foundations are in place: whether government partners are engaged, whether implementing organizations have the capacity and credibility to deliver the intervention, and whether ethical review processes have been properly considered. I came to understand that even the most rigorous research design has little value if the partnerships needed to implement the program are not in place. 

Do you have advice to offer other young aspiring African scholars thinking about a career in economic research?

Firstly, I would advise early-career researchers to develop expertise that is difficult to replicate. Methodological skills can be learned, but deep knowledge of how institutions, communities, and labor markets actually function in a particular context takes years to build. Understanding how Zimbabwe’s education system operates in practice is a form of knowledge that cannot easily be acquired from a distance. That knowledge is your comparative advantage, and the field needs more of it.

Secondly, spend as much time in the field as possible. Some of the most important lessons I have learned about my work, I have learned in classrooms, on school grounds, and in ministry offices. Being present in these spaces often changes which questions seem important.

Thirdly, find collaborators who are willing to challenge your thinking. Several of the projects I value most emerged from conversations in which colleagues asked difficult questions that forced me to reconsider my assumptions and approach. 

Finally, invest time and effort to develop your network. Research opportunities often depend on relationships and trust, whether with government officials, implementing organizations, funders, or fellow researchers.