Vivian Afi Dzokoto - MIASA - Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa

Vivian Afi Dzokoto, PhD is a cultural and clinical psychologist. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, USA. Her research foci include User Experiences in African Payment Spaces and the Cultural Grounding of Affect and Psychopathology In West African Settings.

MIASA Project: Investigations of the utility of cash in crisis and associated settings in Ghana

Despite the growth of digital payments, many Ghanaians rely predominantly on cash for daily transactions. This project explores what happens to individual-level money behaviors (e.g. cash availability, access, usage, and storage) in times of personal crises (e.g. health crises, financial shocks) in urban Ghana.

Selected publications

Swartz, L., & Dzokoto, V. (2023). COVID Relief as “Dangerous Money” for Black Business Owners. Journal of Cultural Economy, 16:4, 477-494, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2023.2189147
Dzokoto, V., Hagiwara, N., & Belgrave, F. (2023). Exploring Gender and Race-based Financial Stereotypes in Black and White College Students. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 34 (1), 2023, 32–41. https://10.1891/JFCP-2021-0020
Osei-Tutu, A., Adams, G., Dzokoto, V. A., Affram, A. A., Kenin, A., Vural, N., & Omar, S. M. (2022). Conception and experience of well-being in two Ghanaian samples: Implications for Positive Psychology. International Journal of Wellbeing, 12(4), 51-64. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v12i4.2123

Serpell, Z., Dzokoto, V. A, Anum, A., Belgrave, F.Z. (2022). Editorial: African Cultural Models in Psychology. Frontiers in Cultural Psychology, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.844872
Dzokoto, V.; Aggrey, J., Houngebeke, H. & Mensah, E. (2018). Exploring Knowledge Gaps and Financial Exclusion in Ghanaian Monetary Transitions. Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, 17 (3). https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219649218500284
Dzokoto, V., Asante, R., & Aggrey, J. K. (2016). Money That Isn’t: A Qualitative Examination of the Adoption of the 1 Pesewa Coin and Biometric Payment Cards in Ghana. Ghana Studies, 19 (1), 3-34. https://doi.org/10.1353/ghs.2016.0001

Interdisciplinary Fellow Group: Cash in Crisis Times: A West African Investigation

IFG 12

Despite global heralding of digital payments, significant portions of West Africa remain unbanked, relying predominantly on cash for daily transactions. This interdisciplinary project investigates the role of cash in diverse ... Read more

Personal website

Institute:
Virginia Commonwealth University

Year:
2024/2025

Interdisciplinary Fellow Group:
IFG 12