Bio:Jacob Novignon joined CSPS in 2024 as a Senior Research Fellow. He previously worked as a Senior Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi – Ghana. He has over 10 years’ experience working in research, evaluation and programming related to health economics in sub-Saharan Africa. He is passionate about conducting research around health economics and finance that contribute to improving health policies while enhancing healthcare utilization, especially among the poor.
Research: Over the years, Dr Novignon has worked on a range of topics including health financing, inequality analysis of health outcomes and utilization, efficiency of health systems and social protection. His research has mostly used quantitative economic and impact evaluation methodologies. He has also worked as a consultant for various organizations including World Health Organization in Geneva, UNFPA-WCARO, UNFPA-ESARO, Results for Development, UNDP, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), African Health Economics and Policy Association, among others. He has published extensively in top peer-reviewed journals and served as a presenter, panelist and/or facilitator at several national and international conferences/workshops.
Selected projects
Title: Adolescent mental, sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing policy, program and primary care implementation priorities in West Africa (AdoWA)
Duration: 2021-2024
Position: Co-Investigator
Funded by: United Kingdom Research Institute Medical Research Council (UKRI MRC)
Objective: The project sought to understand what and why are adolescent wellbeing policy and programme priorities, how are adolescent mental, sexual and reproductive services funded and how efficient are available resources used? The project aimed to generate evidence to inform country and sub-regional policy development advocacy and priority setting.
Title: Improving experiences and outcomes for individuals with severe stigmatizing skin diseases: Developing an integrated case finding and management intervention in Ghana and Ethiopia
Duration: 2019 - present
Position: Co-Investigator
Funded by: NIHR, UK
Objective: Multi-disciplinary partnership across five institutions that seeks to conduct research to produce evidence that will contribute to improve experiences of severe and stigmatizing neglected tropical diseases of the skin.
Title: Impact assessment of European Investment Bank’s development finance in Jamaica
Duration: 2019-2020
Position: Principal Investigator
Funded by: European Investment Bank (EIB) through Global Development Network
Objective: The project used quasi-experimental techniques to evaluate the impact of EIB’s development finance initiative in Jamaica through affordable loans to small and medium scale enterprises.
Title: The role of health insurance in mitigating the economic consequences of health shocks in Ghana
Duration: 2016-2017
Position: Principal Investigator
Funded by: African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
Objective: The project tested the hypothesis that Ghana’s national health insurance scheme, touted as the most important health financing reform in the country’s history, has secondary impacts that include alleviating the economic consequences of ill health.
Title: Assessing domestic and donor financing for maternal neonatal and child health in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA)
Duration: 2017-2018
Position: Co-Investigator
Funded by: African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
Objective: At the core of health system challenges in developing countries is inadequate financing of essential health commodities and infrastructure. This project assessed the fiscal space potential of countries in SSA with a focus on both domestic and external funding sources.
Selected publications
(See more at ResearchGate ; Google Scholar)
Hailemichael, Y., Novignon, J., Owusu, L., Okyere, D., Mtuy, T., Alemu, A.Y., Ocloo, E.K., Koka, E., Palmer, J., Walker, S.L. and Gadisa, E., 2024. The role of economic factors in shaping and constituting the household burden of neglected tropical diseases of the skin: Qualitative findings from Ghana and Ethiopia. Social Science & Medicine, p.117094.
Atakorah, Y.B., Arthur, E., Osei-Fosu, A.K. and Novignon, J., 2023. Economic inequalities in health insurance subscription renewal: Evidence from Ghana's national health insurance scheme. Social Science & Medicine, p.116514.
Kumar, M.B., Bath, D., Binyaruka, P., Novignon, J., Lawn, J.E. and Pitt, C., 2023. Donor aid mentioning newborns and stillbirths, 2002–19: an analysis of levels, trends, and equity. The Lancet Global Health, 11(11), pp.e1785-e1793.
Novignon, J., Arthur, E., Tabiri, K.G., Atakorah, Y.B. and Nonvignon, J., 2023. Does health insurance mitigate the economic impact of negative health outcomes? Evidence from Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme. Journal of Social and Economic Development, pp.1-21.
Frempong, R.B., Novignon, J. and Stadelmann, D., 2023. Inequalities, Exclusion, and Covid-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Covid-19 in Africa: Societal and Economic Implications (pp. 129-156). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Quinones, S., Lin, S., Tian, L., Mendola, P., Novignon, J., Adamba, C. and Palermo, T., 2023. The dose-response association between LEAP 1000 and birthweight–no clear mechanisms: a structural equation modeling approach. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23(1), p.364.
Aryeetey, G.C., Nonvignon, J., Malm, K., Owusu, R., Baabu, B.S., Peprah, N.Y., Agyemang, S.A., Novignon, J., Amon, S., Dwomoh, D. and Aikins, M., 2023. Cost of inappropriate prescriptions for uncomplicated malaria in Ghana. Malaria Journal, 22(1), pp.1-9.
Arhin, K., Oteng-Abayie, E.F. and Novignon, J., 2023. Assessing the efficiency of health systems in achieving the universal health coverage goal: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa. Health Economics Review, 13(1), pp.1-16.
Quinones, S., Mendola, P., Tian, L., Lin, S., Novignon, J., Angeles, G. and Palermo, T., 2023. Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (1000) Program Seasonally Impacts Birthweight: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis. International Journal of Public Health, p.39.
Amporfu, E., Arthur, E. and Novignon, J., 2023. Billing the Insured: An Assessment of Out-of-Pocket Payment by Insured Patients in Ghana. Health Services Insights, 16, p.11786329221149397.
Novignon, J., Prencipe, L., Molotsky, A., Valli, E., de Groot, R., Adamba, C. and Palermo, T., 2022. The impact of unconditional cash transfers on morbidity and health-seeking behaviour in Africa: evidence from Ghana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Health Policy and Planning, 37(5), pp.607-623.
Otieno, P., Angeles, G., Quiñones, S., van Halsema, V., Novignon, J. and Palermo, T., 2022. Health services availability and readiness moderate cash transfer impacts on health insurance enrolment: evidence from the LEAP 1000 cash transfer program in Ghana. BMC health services research, 22(1), pp.1-13.
Novignon, J. and Tabiri, G. K. (2022) Leveraging COVID-19 pandemic response for improved health system financing: lessons from Ghana. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management.
Novignon, J., Aryeetey, G., Nonvignon, J., Malm, K., Peprah, N.Y., Agyemang, S.A., Amon, S. and Aikins, M., (2021). Efficiency of malaria service delivery in selected district-level hospitals in Ghana. Health Systems, pp.1-10.
Novignon, J. Lanko, C. and Arthur, E. (2021). Political economy and the pursuit of universal health coverage in Ghana: a case of the National Health Insurance Scheme. Health Policy and Planning
Novignon, J., Atakorah, Y.B. and Chijere Chirwa, G., 2021. Exemption for the poor or the rich? An assessment of socioeconomic inequalities in Ghana’s national health insurance exemption policies. Health Policy and Planning.
Barroy, H., Cylus, J., Patcharanarumol, W., Novignon, J., Evetovits, T. and Gupta, S., 2021. Do efficiency gains really translate into more budget for health? An assessment framework and country applications. Health Policy and Planning.
Professional service
- Scientific review committee member, 5th African Health Economics and Policy Association Conference, Accra.
- International Health Economics Association (IHEA) Student Paper Prize Award Committee Member, 2023.
- IHEA Special Interest Group Convenor on Health Financing, 2021
- Abstract Review Committee Member, IHEA Conference, 2023
- Program Chair, IHEA Congress Scientific Committee
- Editorial Board Member, Internation Journal for Equity in Health, BMC Health Services Research
- Member, Technical working group on the development of a sub-national primary health care assessment tool, Ghana Health Service (GHS)
Memberships
- International Health Economics Association (iHEA)
- African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA)
- African Econometric Society (AES)
- African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Network