Panharoth Chhay

Research Interests

Applied Economics Development Studies Social Impact Assessment Economic Development Policy Agricultural Economics Gender Studies Agri-food, water and environment systems Econometrics Econometric methods and applications Econometric and Statistical Methods Economics

Dr Panharoth Chhay

Grant-Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow

School of Economics

College of Business and Law

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Panharoth joined the Centre for Global Food and Resources (CGFAR) at the University of Adelaide as a grant-funded researcher in February 2024, with her primary focus on researching the impacts of digital financial services in Cambodia and Laos. Prior to joining CGFAR, she served as a full-time research associate at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). She has conducted applied microeconomics research on various development topics such as household access to rural electrification, clean energy for cooking, electricity outages, household shocks, gender, livelihoods, and food security in low and middle-income countries. Her current and past research spans multiple countries, including Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Her work has been featured in high-impact development studies and economics journals, such as World Development and Energy Economics. She earned her Ph.D. in economics from Kobe University in Japan in 2021.

Date Position Institution name
2024 - ongoing Grant-Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of Adelaide
2021 - 2024 Research Associate Asian Development Bank Institute

Date Institution name Country Title
2018 - 2021 Kobe University Japan Doctor of Economics
2016 - 2018 Kobe University Japan Master of Economics
2011 - 2015 Royal University of Phnom Penh Cambodia Bachelor of Arts in International Studies

Year Citation
2026 Chhay, P. (2026). Electricity outages and firm productivity: Evidence from Cambodia. Utilities Policy, 100, 102166.
DOI
2025 Rahut, D. B., Chhay, P., Datta, P., & Behera, B. (2025). The Transition of Household Energy Use in Cambodia Since 2004: Trends, Patterns, and Determinants. Asian Development Review, 42(03), 51-70.
DOI
2024 Aryal, J. P., Rahut, D. B., Sonobe, T., Tortajada, C., & Chhay, P. (2024). Water resource management in agriculture for achieving food and water security in Asia. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 40(3), 319-322.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3
2023 Nguyen, T. T., Do, M. H., Rahut, D. B., Nguyen, V. H., & Chhay, P. (2023). Female leadership, internet use, and performance of agricultural cooperatives in Vietnam. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 94(3), 877-903.
DOI Scopus17 WoS14
2022 Rahut, D. B., Aryal, J. P., Chhay, P., & Sonobe, T. (2022). Ethnicity/caste-based social differentiation and the consumption of clean cooking energy in Nepal: An exploration using panel data. Energy Economics, 112, 13 pages.
DOI Scopus23 WoS18
2021 Chhay, P., & Yamazaki, K. (2021). Rural electrification and changes in employment structure in Cambodia. World Development, 137, 11 pages.
DOI Scopus21 WoS17

Year Citation
2022 Rahut, D. B., Aryal, J. P., Chhay, P., & Morgan, P. (2022). Examining micro and small enterprises from a gender perspective in urban Cambodia. In A. Das, & B. Susantono (Eds.), Informal services in Asian cities: Lessons for urban planning and management from the COVID-19 pandemic (pp. 215-252). Asian Development Bank Institute and Asian Development Bank.
DOI

Year Citation
2026 Chhay, P., Peralta Sanchez, A., Akzar, R., Thath, R., San, V., & Spoann, V. (2026). Do Digital Financial Services Promote Agricultural Input Use? Evidence from Rural Cambodia. In 70th Annual Conference of The Australasian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society. Adelaide.
2025 Chhay, P., Peralta Sanchez, A., & Akzar, R. (2025). Determinants of Digital Financial Service Adoption Among Rural Cambodian Farmers. In 69th Annual Conference of The Australasian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society. Brisbane.
2024 Chhay, P., Rahut, D. B., Suryadarma, D., & Thu Vu, T. (2024). Food Security Inequality between Indigenous and Non-indigenous Communities in Nepal. In ADB Economists' Forum 2024. Manila, the Philippines.
2024 Chhay, P., Rahut, D. B., Suryadarma, D., & Thu Vu, T. (2024). Livelihood Diversification Strategies of Indigenous Communities in Nepal. In ADB Economists' Forum 2024. Manila, the Philippines.
2024 Chhay, P., & Rahut, D. B. (2024). Gender-Differentiated Impact of Clean Energy Transition: Evidence From Rural Viet Nam Using Panel Data. In ADB Economists' Forum 2024. Manila, the Philippines.
2023 Chhay, P., Rahut, D. B., Suryadarma, D., & Thu Vu, T. (2023). Food Security Inequality between Indigenous and Non-indigenous Communities in Nepal. In The 11th Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) International Conference. Tokyo, Japan.
2023 Chhay, P., & Rahut, D. B. (2023). Food Security and Consumption of Wild Foods in Rural Bhutan. In ADB Economists' Forum 2023. Manila, the Philippines.
2022 Chhay, P., & Rahut, D. B. (2022). Health Shocks and Over-indebtedness: A Panel Data Analysis from Rural Viet Nam. In ADB Economists' Forum 2022. Manila, the Philippines.

Year Citation
2023 Chhay, P., Rahut, D. B., Tashi, S., & Chamberlin, J. (2023). Does Wild Food Contribute to Food Security? Evidence from Rural Bhutan. Asian Development Bank Institute.
2022 Chhay, P., & Rahut, D. B. (2022). Health shocks and over-indebtedness: A panel data analysis from rural Viet Nam. Asian Development Bank Institute.

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2026 Co-Supervisor Digital Financial Services in Rural Household in Southeast Asia Countries. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Renuka Mittal

Date Role Membership Country
2024 - ongoing Member The Australasian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society Australia

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