Dr Isaac Koomson
Senior Research Fellow
Centre for the Business and Economics of Health
+61 7 334 31281
About
I am a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Queensland’s Centre for the Business and Economics of Health (CBEH). My current research is in the areas of health and development economics and cuts across societal healthcare issues such as child health (i.e., malnutrition), healthcare utilisation, out-of-pocket health expenditure, nutrition and mental health.
My studies also help tackle global community challenges including disease outbreak resilience, poverty, vulnerability, food insecurity and energy poverty. I have worked on projects as a consultant for organisations such as the World Bank, the United Nations, and other policy-oriented research institutes.
I engage with organisations to turn research findings into actionable outcomes. In 2018, I was part of a three-member research team on the UNE/BUPA Health System Project which assessed students' access to the Australian Health System. I have led a team of researchers from the United States to introduce a novel multidimensional disease outbreak resilience index (DORI).
My deep connections to international universities provide cutting-edge insights from across the globe. Currently, I am an adjunct Faculty Director at the Centre for Social Development for the Brown School at Washington University, and I am also a guest lecturer in Quantitative Research Methods at the University of North Carolina and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States.
Research interests
Health economics: drivers of healthcare utilisation, catastrophic and out-of-pocket health expenditure, mental health, obesity, disease outbreak resilience and social determinants of health.
Development economics and personal finance: how personal finance affects health and wellbeing, poverty and vulnerability, food insecurity and energy poverty, among others.
Applied econometrics: application of econometrics and emerging data science/analytic techniques to build evidence on how to enhance health and socioeconomic outcomes.
Research impact and partnerships
My translational research influences policy and systems design for improved health and socioeconomic outcomes. Our UNE/BUPA Health System Project identified challenges for international students and their families to understand and access the Australian Health System. We developed a source document that is currently assisting these students to effectively navigate the Australian health system in the Armidale region and its surrounds.
Our novel Disease Outbreak Resilience Index (DORI) provides a holistic measure for profiling households based on their readiness towards disease outbreaks. DORI can effectively help policymakers to identify vulnerable households for planning and implementing public health safety interventions. A DORI dashboard is currently being designed by the dashboard team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The dashboard will help to promote research in disease outbreak resilience across the globe.
Other achievements
I am a recipient of the prestigious University of New England Chancellor's Doctoral Research Medal and the D. H. Drummond Prize in Economic Studies for Best PhD Thesis with practical digital financial literacy, financial inclusion, and women’s empowerment policies. This research was designed to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in both developed and developing countries. In July 2019, I was recognised as the Researcher of the Month by Adroit Research in Queensland, Australia.
Contact
To find out how we can collaborate and bring value to your organisation, I can be contacted via:
Email - i.koomson@uq.edu.au
Connect with Isaac on LinkedIn
Book
Lahai, John Idriss and Koomson, Isaac (2020). State fragility and resilience in sub-Saharan Africa: indicators and interventions. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780367853846
Book Chapters
Koomson, Isaac and Ahmad, Shabbir (2024). Financial inclusion and adoption of integrated crop-livestock farming systems in India. Financial inclusion and sustainable rural development. (pp. 381-399) edited by Isaac Koomson and Renato A. Villano. Singapore, Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_16
Karakara, Alhassan Abdul-Wakeel, Daudu, Abdulrazaq Kamal and Koomson, Isaac (2024). Digital Literacy and Financial Inclusion Among Smallholder Farmers: Exploring Gender Dichotomy in Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria. Sustainable Development Goals Series. (pp. 201-227) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_9
Koomson, Isaac, Appiah-Kubi, Jamal, Ansong, David, Okumu, Moses and Villano, Renato A. (2024). The Discouraged Borrower Syndrome and Rural Household Food Insecurity: Examining the Mediating Role of Financial Inclusion. Sustainable Development Goals Series. (pp. 27-48) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_2
Villano, Renato A. and Koomson, Isaac (2024). From Rural Poverty to Prosperity: Reflections on Evidence, Policy, and the Path Forward. Sustainable Development Goals Series. (pp. 511-527) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_21
Martey, Edward, Etwire, Prince M. and Koomson, Isaac (2024). Financial Inclusion, Agricultural Land Ownership, and Investment Decisions. Sustainable Development Goals Series. (pp. 357-379) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_15
Koomson, Isaac and Villano, Renato A. (2024). Unleashing Potential: The Transformative Power of Financial Inclusion in Fostering Sustainable Rural Development. Sustainable Development Goals Series. (pp. 3-23) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_1
Koomson, Isaac (2024). Examining the Link Between Financial Inclusion and Mental Distress: Empirical Evidence from Rural South Africa. Sustainable Development Goals Series. (pp. 69-89) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-97-6132-6_4
Ansong, David, Okumu, Moses, Huang, Jin, Sun, Sicong, Huseynli, Aytakin, Koomson, Isaac, Chowa, Gina, Ssewamala, Fred, S. Sherraden, Margaret and Sherraden, Michael (2023). Financial capability and asset building: innovations in social protection and development. Handbook on Social Protection and Social Development in the Global South. (pp. 308-330) edited by Leila Patel, Sophie Plagerson and Isaac Chinyoka. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781800378421.00033
Peprah, James Atta, Afoakwah, Clifford and Koomson, Isaac (2020). Analysis of Crop Yield Volatility Among Smallholder Farmers in Ghana. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. (pp. 69-89) Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-44180-7_4
Bukari, Chei and Koomson, Isaac (2020). Adoption of mobile money for healthcare utilization and spending in rural Ghana. Moving from the Millennium to the Sustainable Development Goals: lessons and recommendations. (pp. 37-60) edited by Sefa Awaworyi Churchill. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-1556-9_3
Koomson, Isaac and Ibrahim, Muazu (2018). Financial Inclusion and Growth of Non-farm Enterprises in Ghana. Financing Sustainable Development in Africa. (pp. 369-396) Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-78843-2_14
Peprah, James Atta and Koomson, Isaac (2017). Economic drivers of domestic violence among women: a case study of Ghana. Violence and society: breakthroughs in research and practice. (pp. 222-240) Hershey, PA, United States: IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0988-2.ch013
Peprah, James Atta and Koomson, Isaac (2013). Economic drivers of domestic violence among women: A case study of Ghana. Globalization and Governance in the International Political Economy. (pp. 166-183) IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-4666-4639-1.ch013
Journal Articles
Koomson, Isaac, Martey, Edward and Temoso, Omphile (2025). Employment-related time poverty, time stress and food away from home behaviour: Panel evidence from Australia. Appetite, 204 107734, 107734. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107734
Temoso, Omphile, Koomson, Isaac and Thomy, Buyani (2024). Club convergence in regional labor productivity: how do Australian states and territories compare to the US, UK, and Canadian subnational regions?. Journal of Productivity Analysis. doi: 10.1007/s11123-024-00738-y
Churchill, Rejoice E. A., Koomson, Isaac and Churchill, Sefa Awaworyi (2024). Local area crime and alcohol consumption: longitudinal evidence from Australia. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 222470, jech-2024. doi: 10.1136/jech-2024-222470
Osei Opoku, Eric Evans, Acheampong, Alex O., Dogah, Kingsley E and Koomson, Isaac (2024). Energy innovation investment and renewable energy in OECD countries. Energy Strategy Reviews, 54 101462, 101462. doi: 10.1016/j.esr.2024.101462
Koomson, Paul and Koomson, Isaac (2024). Toward vulnerability-responsive climate adaptation decision making: group inclusiveness as prime driver of local participation. Climate and Development, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/17565529.2024.2368173
Villano, Renato Andrin, Koomson, Isaac, Thei, Stella, Taqiuddin, Moh, Prameswari, Febrina, Fachry, Anwar, Fatah, Luthfi, Sumantri, Ika and Burrow, Heather (2024). Women’s empowerment in integrated cattle-farming systems in Indonesia. Applied Economics, 1-16. doi: 10.1080/00036846.2024.2364090
Kofinti, Raymond Elikplim, Koomson, Isaac and Baako-Amponsah, Josephine (2024). Can health financing programmes reduce food insecurity in a developing country?. International Journal of Health Economics and Management, 24 (4), 595-621. doi: 10.1007/s10754-024-09380-5
Koomson, Isaac (2024). Energy poverty and mental distress in South Africa: assessing linkages and potential pathways. World Development Sustainability, 4 100116. doi: 10.1016/j.wds.2023.100116
Koomson, Isaac, Zhang, Quanda and Prakash, Kushneel (2024). Entrepreneurship and subjective wellbeing in China: Exploring linkages and potential channels. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 21 e00449, e00449. doi: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2024.e00449
Bukari, Chei, Koomson, Isaac and Annim, Samuel Kobina (2024). Financial inclusion, vulnerability coping strategies and multidimensional poverty: Does conceptualisation of financial inclusion matter?. Review of Development Economics, 28 (2), 462-498. doi: 10.1111/rode.13062
Koomson, Isaac, Lenzen, Sabrina and Afoakwah, Clifford (2024). Informal care and financial stress: Longitudinal evidence from Australia. Stress and Health, 40 (4) e3393, e3393. doi: 10.1002/smi.3393
Kofinti, Raymond Elikplim, Koomson, Isaac and Peprah, James Atta (2024). Borrower discouragement and multidimensional child deprivation in Ghana. The Journal of Economic Inequality, 22 (1), 49-67. doi: 10.1007/s10888-023-09578-6
Okumu, Moses, Ansong, David, Koomson, Isaac and Chen, Ding-Geng (2024). How financial resilience shapes social and public health policy choices in sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical insights from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 15 (1), 43-67. doi: 10.1086/717770
Koomson, Isaac, Kofinti, Raymond Elikplim and Laryea, Esther (2024). Financial inclusion and multidimensional child poverty. Review of Economics of the Household, 22 (1), 237-260. doi: 10.1007/s11150-022-09641-7
Ansong, David, Okumu, Moses, Amoako, Emmanuel Owusu, Appiah-Kubi, Jamal, Ampomah, Abena Oforiwaa, Koomson, Isaac and Hamilton, Eric (2024). The role of teacher support in students' academic performance in low- and high-stakes assessments. Learning and Individual Differences, 109 102396. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2023.102396
Koomson, Isaac, Afoakwah, Clifford and Twumasi, Martinson Ankrah (2024). Racial diversity, child stunting and underweight: Policies design and promotion in South Africa. Journal of Policy Modeling. doi: 10.1016/j.jpolmod.2024.05.009
Ansong, David, Okumu, Moses, Nyoni, Thabani, Appiah-Kubi, Jamal, Amoako, Emmanuel Owusu, Koomson, Isaac and Conklin, Jamie (2024). The effectiveness of financial capability and asset building interventions in improving youth’s educational well-being: a systematic review. Adolescent Research Review, 9 (4), 647-662. doi: 10.1007/s40894-023-00223-x
Koomson, Isaac, Koomson, Paul and Abdul-Mumuni, Abdallah (2023). Trust in banks, financial inclusion and the mediating role of borrower discouragement. International Review of Economics and Finance, 88, 1418-1431. doi: 10.1016/j.iref.2023.07.090
Koomson, Isaac, Orkoh, Emmanuel and Ahmad, Shabbir (2023). Non-farm entrepreneurship, caste, and energy poverty in rural India. Energy Economics, 127 (Part A) 107118, 107118. doi: 10.1016/j.eneco.2023.107118
Koomson, Isaac, Abdul-Mumuni, Abdallah, Ampah, David Kofi and Afful, Anthony Fiifi (2023). The link between households’ durable asset accumulation and healthcare utilisation and spending. International Review of Applied Economics, 37 (5), 1-25. doi: 10.1080/02692171.2023.2254246
Acheampong, Alex O., Adebayo, Tomiwa Sunday, Dzator, Janet and Koomson, Isaac (2023). Income inequality and economic growth in BRICS: insights from non-parametric techniques. Journal of Economic Inequality, 21 (3), 619-640. doi: 10.1007/s10888-023-09567-9
Ansong, David, Koomson, Isaac, Okumu, Moses, Alhassan, Mustapha, Makubuya, Timothy and Abreh, Might Kojo (2023). Private supplementary tutoring expenditures and children’s learning outcomes: gender and locational evidence from Ghana. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 76 101232. doi: 10.1016/j.stueduc.2022.101232
Villano, Renato A., Koomson, Isaac, Nengovhela, Nkhanedzeni B., Mudau, Livhuwani, Burrow, Heather M. and Bhullar, Navjot (2023). Relationships between farmer psychological profiles and farm business performance amongst smallholder beef and poultry farmers in South Africa. Agriculture, 13 (3) 548, 1-22. doi: 10.3390/agriculture13030548
Bhullar, Navjot, Nengovhela, Nkhanedzeni B., Mudau, Livhuwani, Villano, Renato A., Koomson, Isaac and Burrow, Heather M. (2023). Psychological profiles of South African smallholder farmers. PLoS One, 18 (2) e0265634, 1-16. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265634
Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa, Koomson, Isaac and Munyanyi, Musharavati Ephraim (2023). Transport poverty and obesity: The mediating roles of social capital and physical activity. Transport Policy, 130, 155-166. doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.11.006
Koomson, Isaac, Asongu, Simplice A. and Acheampong, Alex O. (2023). Financial inclusion and food insecurity: examining linkages and potential pathways. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 57 (1), 418-444. doi: 10.1111/joca.12505
Koomson, Isaac, Ansong, David, Okumu, Moses and Achulo, Solomon (2022). Effect of financial literacy on poverty reduction across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Global Social Welfare, 10 (1), 93-103. doi: 10.1007/s40609-022-00259-2
Kofinti, Raymond Elikplim, Koomson, Isaac, Paintsil, Jones Arkoh and Ameyaw, Edward Kwabena (2022). Reducing children's malnutrition by increasing mothers' health insurance coverage: A focus on stunting and underweight across 32 sub-Saharan African countries. Economic Modelling, 117 106049, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.econmod.2022.106049
Koomson, Isaac, Afoakwah, Clifford and Ampofo, Akwasi (2022). How does ethnic diversity affect energy poverty? Insights from South Africa. Energy Economics, 111 106079, 106079. doi: 10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106079
Koomson, Isaac and Afoakwah, Clifford (2022). Can financial inclusion improve children's learning outcomes and late school enrolment in a developing country?. Applied Economics, 55 (3), 237-254. doi: 10.1080/00036846.2022.2086683
Koomson, Isaac and Churchill, Sefa Awaworyi (2022). Employment precarity and energy poverty in post-apartheid South Africa: Exploring the racial and ethnic dimensions. Energy Economics, 110 106026, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106026
Koomson, Isaac, Martey, Edward and Etwire, Prince M. (2022). Mobile money and entrepreneurship in East Africa: the mediating roles of digital savings and access to digital credit. Information Technology & People, 36 (3), 996-1019. doi: 10.1108/itp-11-2021-0906
Koomson, Isaac, Villano, Renato A. and Hadley, David (2022). The role of financial literacy in households' asset accumulation process: evidence from Ghana. Review of Economics of the Household, 21 (2), 591-614. doi: 10.1007/s11150-022-09603-z
Koomson, Isaac, Churchill, Sefa Awaworyi and Munyanyi, Musharavati Ephraim (2022). Gambling and financial stress. Social Indicators Research, 163 (1), 473-503. doi: 10.1007/s11205-022-02898-6
Martey, Edward, Etwire, Prince M. and Koomson, Isaac (2022). Parental time poverty, child work and school attendance in Ghana. Child Indicators Research, 15 (4), 1489-1515. doi: 10.1007/s12187-022-09926-4
Koomson, Isaac, Okumu, Moses and Ansong, David (2022). Introducing the Disease Outbreak Resilience Index (DORI) using the demographic and health surveys data from sub-Saharan Africa. Social Indicators Research, 162 (3), 1149-1175. doi: 10.1007/s11205-022-02881-1
Ansong, David, Okumu, Moses and Koomson, Isaac (2022). Financial Capability in Africa: Innovation Through Evidence, Practice, and Policy. Global Social Welfare, 10 (1), 1-7. doi: 10.1007/s40609-022-00256-5
Etwire, Prince Maxwell, Koomson, Isaac and Martey, Edward (2022). Impact of climate change adaptation on farm productivity and household welfare. Climatic Change, 170 (1-2) ARTN 11. doi: 10.1007/s10584-022-03308-z
Koomson, Isaac, Abdul-Mumuni, Abdallah and Abbam, Anthony (2021). Effect of financial inclusion on out-of-pocket health expenditure: empirics from Ghana. European Journal of Health Economics, 22 (9), 1411-1425. doi: 10.1007/s10198-021-01320-1
Koomson, Isaac, Bukari, Chei and Villano, Renato A. (2021). Mobile money adoption and response to idiosyncratic shocks: empirics from five selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 167 120728, 120728. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120728
Koomson, Isaac and Churchill, Sefa Awaworyi (2021). Ethnic diversity and food insecurity: Evidence from Ghana. The Journal of Development Studies, 57 (11), 1912-1926. doi: 10.1080/00220388.2021.1928641
Asante, Bright Owusu, Koomson, Isaac, Villano, Renato A. and Wiredu, Alexander Nimo (2021). Adoption of integrated crop-livestock management practices (ICLMPs) among men and women smallholder farmers in Ghana. Gender, Technology and Development, 25 (2), 163-192. doi: 10.1080/09718524.2021.1911021
Ansong, David, Okumu, Moses, Otchere, Frank, Koomson, Isaac and Sherraden, Michael (2021). Addressing the burden of education financing in low and lower-middle-income countries: The role of savings accounts, cash transfers, and other income sources. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 42 (4), 745-756. doi: 10.1007/s10834-021-09757-5
Koomson, Isaac, Villano, Renato Andrin and Hadley, David (2021). Accelerating the impact of financial literacy training programmes on household consumption by empowering women. Applied Economics, 53 (29), 3359-3376. doi: 10.1080/00036846.2021.1878093
Ibrahim, Muazu, Koomson, Isaac, Aluko, Olufemi Adewale and Opoku, Eric Evans Osei (2021). Re–examining Bhagwati hypothesis: the case of some selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Transnational Corporations Review, 13 (3), 334-345. doi: 10.1080/19186444.2020.1863702
Afoakwah, Clifford and Koomson, Isaac (2021). How does school travel time impact children's learning outcomes in a developing country?. Review of Economics of the Household, 19 (4), 1077-1097. doi: 10.1007/s11150-020-09533-8
Koomson, Isaac and Danquah, Michael (2021). Financial inclusion and energy poverty: empirical evidence from Ghana. Energy Economics, 94 105085, 105085. doi: 10.1016/j.eneco.2020.105085
Kotey, Bernice and Koomson, Isaac (2021). Firm size differences in financial returns from flexible work arrangements (FWAs). Small Business Economics, 56 (1), 65-81. doi: 10.1007/s11187-019-00201-5
Peprah, James Atta, Koomson, Isaac, Sebu, Joshua and Bukari, Chei (2020). Improving productivity among smallholder farmers in Ghana: does financial inclusion matter?. Agricultural Finance Review, 81 (4), 481-502. doi: 10.1108/afr-12-2019-0132
Koomson, Isaac, Villano, Renato A. and Hadley, David (2020). Effect of financial inclusion on poverty and vulnerability to poverty: evidence using a multidimensional measure of financial inclusion. Social Indicators Research, 149 (2), 613-639. doi: 10.1007/s11205-019-02263-0
Sare, Yakubu Awudu, Opoku, Eric Evans Osei, Ibrahim, Muazu and Koomson, Isaac (2019). Financial sector development convergence in africa: evidence from bank-and market-based measures. Economics and Business Letters, 8 (4), 166-175. doi: 10.17811/ebl.8.4.2019.166-175
Koomson, Isaac, Villano, Renato A. and Hadley, David (2019). Intensifying financial inclusion through the provision of financial literacy training: a gendered perspective. Applied Economics, 52 (4), 375-387. doi: 10.1080/00036846.2019.1645943
Nunoo, Jacob, Koomson, Isaac and Orkoh, Emmanuel (2018). Household deficiency in demand for water: do water source and travel time matter?. Global Social Welfare, 5 (3), 179-187. doi: 10.1007/s40609-017-0092-6
Nunoo, Jacob, Darfor, Kwabena Nkansah, Koomson, Isaac and Arthur, Abigail (2018). Employment security and workers’ moonlighting behavior in Ghana. Journal of Economic Studies, 45 (1), 144-155. doi: 10.1108/JES-04-2016-0074
Asongu, Simplice A., Koomson, Isaac and Tchamyou, Vanessa S. (2017). Financial globalisation uncertainty/instability is good for financial development. Research in International Business and Finance, 41, 280-291. doi: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2017.04.042
Koomson, Isaac, Annim, Samuel Kobina and Peprah, James Atta (2016). Loan refusal, household income and savings in Ghana: a dominance analysis approach. African Journal of Economic and Sustainable Development, 5 (2), 172-191. doi: 10.1504/ajesd.2016.076095
Koomson, Isaac and Asongu, Simplice A. (2016). Relative contribution of child labour to household farm and non-farm income in Ghana: Simulation with child's education. African Development Review, 28 (1), 104-115. doi: 10.1111/1467-8268.12170
Peprah, James A., Afoakwah, Clifford and Koomson, Isaac (2015). Savings, entrepreneurial trait and self-employment: evidence from selected Ghanaian Universities. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 5 (1) 1, 1-17. doi: 10.1186/s40497-015-0017-8