Dr Oswald Joseph Mashindano holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. He works with the Economic and Social Research Foundation as a Senior Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Rapid Response Implementation Support Programme. Prior to this position Dr Mashindano worked as a Lecturer of Economics at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, Economics Department, and served as a Treasury Registrar at the Ministry of Finance. He teaches and does research in the areas of agricultural economics; rural development; policy analysis; governance and local government.