David Ansong is an associate professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work and a Wallace Kuralt Early Career Distinguished Scholar. He is a faculty fellow of the Global Social Development Innovations and serves as a faculty director with the Global Asset Building program at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.
His research focuses on factors that promote economic security and the well-being of children and youth. He is involved in international research on the impacts of economic security interventions on child and youth development. His domestic research focuses on testing innovative interventions to bolster the financial capability of relatives who provide permanent care for children in foster care to: 1) improve relative caregivers’ financial security; 2) decrease the number of children languishing in foster care, and 3) improve child safety and well-being.
Degrees and Licenses
Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis
MSW, Washington University in St. Louis
BA, University of Ghana
Primary Program
Global Social Development Innovations
Research and Professional Interests
Educational and Economic Disparities
Child and Youth Well-Being
International Social Development
Community Development
Advanced Statistical Methods and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Principal Investigator
Illinois Birth through Three (IB3) Waiver Evaluation
Innovative Child Welfare Casework to Help Abused and Neglected Children Find Permanent Homes with Their Grandparents and Other Relatives
Co-Investigator
The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP) Implementation and Evaluation Support
Recent Publications
Chen, D., & Ansong, D. (2019). Bayesian modeling of space and time dynamics: A practical demonstration in social and health research. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. https://doi.org/10.1086/703444
Ansong, D., Okumu, M., Kim, Y. K., Despard, M., & Darfo-Oduro, R. (2019). Effects of education savings accounts on student engagement: Instrumental variable analysis. Global Social Welfare. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-019-00142-7
Ansong, D., Eisensmith, S. R., Okumu, M., & Chowa, G. (2019). The importance of self-efficacy and educational aspirations for academic achievement in resource-limited countries: Evidence from Ghana. Journal of Adolescence, 70, 13-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.11.003
Ansong, D., Chowa, G., Masa, R., Despard, M., Sherraden, M., Wu, S., & Osei-Akoto, I. (2018). Effects of Youth Savings Accounts on school attendance and academic performance: Evidence from a youth savings experiment. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 40(2), 269-281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-018-9604-5
Ansong, D., Chesworth, B., Okumu, M., Ansong, E., & Wabwire, C. J. (2018). Gendered geographical inequalities in junior high school enrollment: Do infrastructure, human, and financial resources matter? Journal of Economic Studies, 45(2), 411-425. https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-10-2016-0211
Courses
|
SOWO 911
Social Statistics and Data Analysis
|
Fall 2013 – 2019
Ph.D.
|
|
SOWO 510
Evidence-Based Practice and Program Evaluation
|
Spring 2014 – 2017, 2019
MSW
|
|
SOWO 843
Advanced Policy Practice
|
Spring, Summer 2017-2019
MSW
|
