Melodie is a Researcher in Public Health Nutrition at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and affiliate researcher in the Welfare Research Program at the ISDC. Her research focuses on the determinants of maternal and child health, food insecurity, and nutrition in developing contexts, especially in emergency settings. She has worked as a Research Assistant […]
Building Stability Between Host and Refugee Communities through TVET Programming
The resettlement of refugees in new regions has long been linked with the onset of social tensions and potential conflict, both between hosts and refugees and between hosts and their national governments. Naturally, attention turns to what might be able to reduce or minimize these risks. In this project, we study the impact of a […]
Lame Ungwang
Lame Ungwang is a Researcher at ISDC and a Doctoral Fellow of the International Max Planck Research Group (IMPRS) on Uncertainty and the Economics Department at University of Jena. She is currently working on evaluating strategies utilized by the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), specifically in Mali, Sudan and Guatemala. Broadly speaking, Lame’s research revolves around […]
McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition in Kyrgyzstan: Study on Nutritional and Learning Variables, Phase II
The overall objective of this study is to generate a solid evidence base of Mercy Corps Kyrgyzstan’s McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition program’s impacts on nutrition and learning outcomes. The specific aims for this study are: Aim 1: To develop and implement a mixed-methods research design for the collection of informative survey data […]
Dorothee Weiffen
Dorothee Weiffen is a Researcher in the Welfare Program at ISDC. Her research interests include food and nutritional security, livelihoods and well-being in developing contexts, especially in conflict-affected settings. Dorothee’s methodological areas of expertise are experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluations, quantitative statistical analysis, machine learning approaches and micro-level data collection. Previously, she worked as a […]
17th Annual Workshop of the Households in Conflict Network: Conflict, Migration, and Displacement
The complex nexus of forced migration, development, and security is central to the analysis of household welfare. Any empirical analysis of the link between conflict and forced migration faces issues due to endogeneity, generalizability, or data quality. The workshop thus aims at discussing creative and innovative approaches that allow dealing with the above issues to […]
Rebecca Wolfe
Dr. Rebecca J. Wolfe is a Research Affiliate at ISDC. She is a lecturer at the Harris School for Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where she is an associate at the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. She is a leading expert on political violence, conflict and violent extremism. […]
SEEDS: Long-term Impacts of a Complex Agricultural Intervention on Welfare, Behaviour and Stability in Syria
In this project, we study a complex agricultural intervention in a protracted crisis setting. We use innovative quantitative methods to analyse impact magnitudes, pathways and interactions of different intervention components across multiple local contexts and on multiple outcomes.
Agricultural Transformation in Syria: Impact Evaluation of FAO’s Smallholder Support Program
An impact evaluation to study the economic, behavioural and institutional impacts of FAO’s smallholder support programme in Syria.
Child Development in the Context of a School Feeding Programme in Kyrgyzstan
A Mercy Corps-funded study into the effects of nutrition on health and education among Kyrgyz children, and the causal impacts of the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program on these outcomes.
Can employment build peace? A pseudo-meta-analysis of employment programmes in Africa
We link employment to stability in five African countries to test if standard interventions influence complex outcomes. We show positive impacts on some indicators but negative externalities also arise. There are, thus, grounds for optimism but further work is required.
Assets for Alimentation? The Nutritional Impact of Assets-Based Programming in Niger
A recent strand of aid programming aims to develop household assets by removing the stresses associated with meeting basic nutritional needs. In this paper, we posit that such nutrition-sensitive programmes can reduce malnourishment by encouraging further investment in diet.
On the Legacies of Wartime Governance
This paper explores the long-term impact of individual exposure to ‘wartime governance’ on social and political behavior.
Strengthening Food Security in Acute Crisis Settings: First Insights from North-east Nigeria
Endline analysis of FAO Northeast Nigeria Resilience Programme show significant improvements in food security particularly to IDPs and households living under extreme violent conflict, underscoring the significant of developmental interventions in protracted crises.
Drivers of Resilience and Food Security in North-east Nigeria: Learning from Micro Data in an Emergency Setting
Endline analysis of FAO Northeast Nigeria Resilience Programme show significant improvements in food security particularly to IDPs and households living under extreme violent conflict, underscoring the significance of developmental interventions in protracted crises.
On the Return on Investment of Security Sector Assistance and Peacebuilding Assistance
Peacebuilding assistance and security sector assistance both aim at the same outcome – reductions in political violence. In this exploratory article, we show only the former has its desired impact, with security sector support apparently acting to increase violence.
An Impact Evaluation of WFP Malnutrition Interventions in Niger
Although much has been learned about the performance of food aid interventions, less is known about their impact in situations of chronic, rather than acute, food insecurity. In this article, we show little medium-term impact of direct food provision of nutritional outcomes but a strong, positive, impact of assets based programming in chronically food insecure Niger.
Money can’t buy love but can it buy peace? Evidence from the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE II)
While randomisation is often eschewed in bottom-up peacebuilding contexts in favour of more targeted programming, there is no guarantee that targeted spending gets to those who need it most. In this article, we discuss the apparent failure of one such targeted rollout – that of the PEACE II programmes in Ireland.
Impact Evaluation of UNHCR’s Engagement in Humanitarian-Development Cooperation
This project provides quantitative estimates of the impact of humanitarian-development cooperation on refugees and host communities in Ethiopia and Jordan.
Seeds of Resilience: A Quasi-experimental Impact Analysis of an FAO Emergency Intervention in Syria
A short- and medium-term impact evaluation of a food security and resilience intervention by FAO Syria that aims to address emergency needs, support early recovery, and build longer-term resilience in the agricultural sector.