Dr Chris Crentsil

Dr Christian Crentsil is a Senior Lecturer in Economics and Course Director for BSc Business Economics within the Accounting, Economics and Finance Section at Canterbury Christ Church University. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) with extensive experience in teaching, curriculum design, and academic leadership in higher education.

His research focuses on applied and behavioural economics, with particular interests in risk and ambiguity aversion, agricultural technology adoption, and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. He brings expertise in experimental economics, econometric modelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a commitment to policy-relevant scholarship.

Prior to joining CCCU in August 2024, Dr Crentsil held positions at the University of Kent, where he served as Lecturer in Economics and as Coordinator for the Economics Exam Success Programme.

He holds a PhD in Agri-Environmental Economics from the University of Kent, an MSc in Agricultural Development Economics (Distinction) from the University of Reading, and a BSc in Agriculture (1st Class Honours and Valedictorian) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.

Dr Crentsil teaches across the economics curriculum at Levels 4 to 6, with modules spanning quantitative methods, applied economics, and macroeconomics. His approach emphasises real-world application, active learning, and student support.

Current and recent modules include:

• Statistics for Economics (Level 4)
• Economics (Level 4)
• Fundamentals of Economics and Finance (Level 4)
• Applied Economics and Policy (Level 5)
• Econometrics (Level 6)

In addition to module delivery, Dr Crentsil serves as a Personal Academic Tutor and contributes to course administration and student recruitment activities, including representing the AEF Section at Open Days. He is an active participant in curriculum development and assessment design.

He previously taught at the University of Kent across a range of programmes including Professional Economics, Microeconomic Analysis, Industrial Economics and Regulation, and coordinated the Economics Exam Success Programme. He also taught pre-university Economics to international students at CATS College, Canterbury.

Dr Crentsil's research sits at the intersection of behavioural economics, agricultural development, and environmental policy. His primary focus is on how smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa make decisions under risk and uncertainty, particularly in the context of climate-smart technology adoption.

He has conducted experimental fieldwork in Ghana using incentivised elicitation methods including the Ellsberg two-urn task and the Baillon, Huang, Selim and Wakker (BHSW) procedure to measure ambiguity aversion. His work explores the implications of risk and ambiguity preferences for the uptake of aquaculture and climate-smart agriculture technologies.

His current research also extends to student entrepreneurship, higher education employment, and the economics of academic practice. He is an active member of a research pipeline spanning agricultural economics, behavioural economics, and higher education scholarship.

Research Interests

• Risk and ambiguity aversion
• Agricultural technology adoption and climate-smart agriculture
• Experimental and behavioural economics
• Sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Student entrepreneurship and graduate outcomes

Publications

Journal Articles

Crentsil, C., Gschwandtner, A., Wahhaj, Z. (2020). The Effects of Risk and Ambiguity Aversion on Technology Adoption: Evidence from Aquaculture in Ghana. Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization, 79, pp. 46-68.

Crentsil, C., Ukpong, I.G. (2014). Economics of Fish Production in Amansie-West District of Ghana: Implication for Food Security in West Africa. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics and Sociology, 3(3), pp. 179-188.

Crentsil, C., Ukpong, I.G. (2014). Production Function Analysis of Fish Production in Amansie-West District of Ghana, West Africa. American Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 4(7), pp. 817-835.

Boansi, D., Crentsil, C. (2013). Competitiveness and Determinants of Coffee Exports, Producer Price and Production for Ethiopia. Journal of Advanced Research in Economics and International Business, 1(1), pp. 31-45.

Working Papers and Policy Briefs

Crentsil, C., Gschwandtner, A., Wahhaj, Z., Owusu, V. (ongoing). Ambiguity Aversion to Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies: Measurement using Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana. Policy Brief.

Manuscripts Under Review

Crentsil, C., Gschwandtner, A., Wahhaj, Z., Owusu, V. Ambiguity Aversion to Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies: Measurement using Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana. Under review at the Journal of African Economics.

Selected Conference Presentations

• June/July 2026: World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists (WCERE 2026), Carcavelos, Portugal. Presentation title: When Farmers Fear the Unknown: Measuring Ambiguity Aversion to the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies - Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Ghana.
• June 2026: 3rd Annual Partners Conference, Canterbury Christ Church University. Presentation title: When Farmers Fear the Unknown: Measuring Ambiguity Aversion to the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies - Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Ghana.
• April 2016: Eastern ARC Workshop - Economic and Psychological Perspectives on Social Issues using an Experimental Approach, University of Kent, Canterbury.
• October 2015: CEAR-CSAE Workshop, University of Oxford - Eliciting Subjective Belief and Risk and Time Preferences in Developing Countries.
• May 2014: PhD Workshop on Experimental Development Economics: Lab in the Field, University of East Anglia.
• February 2014: School Seminar, School of Economics, University of Kent.

• Apprentice Researcher, Academic Professional Apprenticeship Programme
• Reviewer, Singapore Economic Review
• Former External Examiner, Birkbeck University, London
• Conference presenter at international venues including the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists (WCERE) and affiliated institutions
• Match Secretary, Apollo Badminton Club, Canterbury
• Represents CCCU at the Annual Varsity Games