ISDC – International Security and Development Center is a non-profit academic institute based in Berlin, Germany. We conduct research to improve lives and livelihoods shaped by violent conflict, fragility, and humanitarian emergencies. We believe in the power of data and evidence for understanding and alleviating suffering around the world. You can find out more about […]
Thematic Brief Women’s Empowerment and Gender Attitudes in Syria 14 years into the Syrian crisis, women and girls remain at the center of a deepening humanitarian emergency. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Syria Resilience Initiative (SRI) are piloting interventions under BLRS to empower […]
ISDC – International Security and Development Center is a non-profit academic institute based in Berlin, Germany. We conduct research to improve lives and livelihoods shaped by violent conflict, fragility, and humanitarian emergencies. We believe in the power of data and evidence for understanding and alleviating suffering around the world. You can find out more about […]
ISDC – International Security and Development Center is a non-profit academic institute based in Berlin, Germany. We conduct research to improve lives and livelihoods shaped by violent conflict, fragility, and humanitarian emergencies. We believe in the power of data and evidence for understanding and alleviating suffering around the world. You can find out more about […]
For the first time, a study has shown a direct link between political violence and violence https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71075-x#citeasagainst children, adolescents and young adults perpetrated by family members, acquaintances and peer groups. The findings are based on surveys of over 35,000 young people in nine African countries. In 2022, around one in six children worldwide – or […]
The COVID-19 pandemic caused extensive food insecurity in low-income countries. However, most studies rely on aggregate-level exposure measures, overlooking individual-level heterogeneity and introducing measurement errors that limit causal inference. To overcome these gaps, we examine the impact of COVID-19 exposure on food security in four African countries – Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Mozambique – […]
Using large-scale phone survey data collected throughout 2021 in four African countries (Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Mozambique), this paper examines the impact of COVID-19 exposure on food security. The authors, including ISDC’s Damier Esenaliev, Ghassan Baliki, Wolfgang Stojetz, and Tilman Brück, introduce a micro-level measure of ‘COVID-19 exposure’ and use a heteroskedasticity-based IV method […]
Climate and conflict crises increasingly occur together, creating compounded risks for household food security. This review synthesizes evidence from 37 quantitative studies published 2020–2025 on how climate crises (such as drought, storms, or floods), violent conflict (such as war and institutional fragility), and their interactions affect household food security. Most studies examine either climate crises […]
Climate and conflict crises are increasingly occurring together, creating compounded risks for household food security. In this newly released paper, authors Mahlet Degefu Awoke and Tilman Brück synthesize evidence from 37 studies published from 2020 to 2025 on the effects of climate crises (such as drought, storms, or floods), violent conflict (such as war and […]
30 September – 1 October 2026 in Berlin, Germany Fragile Lives convenes international experts from academia, policy, and practice on the use of rigorous evidence to study the drivers, dynamics, and impacts of poly-crises. The conference focuses on lives and livelihoods shaped by crises such as violent conflict, humanitarian emergencies, and the climate crisis. Fragile […]
The COVID-19 pandemic caused extensive food insecurity in low-income countries. However, most studies rely on aggregate-level exposure measures, overlooking individual-level heterogeneity and introducing measurement errors that limit causal inference. To overcome these gaps, we examine the impact of COVID-19 exposure on food security in four African countries — Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Mozambique – […]
8 October 2025, 9:00 Kyrgyzstan time, in-Person We are pleased to invite you to the Life in Kyrgyzstan (LiK) Data Users Workshop, taking place in person on 8 October 2025 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.We invite applications from interested individuals who use or would like to use the LiK data to conduct research and analytical work. Participation […]
We are pleased to invite you to the 11th Annual ‘Life in Kyrgyzstan’ (LiK) Conference, taking place on 10-11 October 2025 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This year marks the 11th anniversary of the conference series. The Life in Kyrgyzstan Conference is an established annual event that brings together national and international experts from academia, government, development agencies, NGOs, media, […]
ISDC ACADEMY Food Security in Crises A one-week on-site practitioner training on rethinking programming for food security in fragile settings On site in Berlin, Germany Aims With almost 300 million people severely affected by food insecurity worldwide, many in protracted crises, and at times of funding scarcity, there is an urgent need to re-consider how […]
This study examines the impact of countermeasures, such as stay-at-home orders and school closures, on stress within households during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a phone survey carried out in Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Mozambique throughout 2021 (N = 22,497), 70% of respondents reported the presence of intra-household tension. On average, we document that the […]
What should we do when projects fail? To gloss over mistakes can be enticing. There is an incentive to ignore mistakes, especially when the political or social context is regards economic development cooperation sceptically. Despite that, there is large potential to increase effectiveness through open analysis. In this webinar, BRAC Europe and ISDC present possibilities […]
Fragile Lives 2025 is the second edition of an annual international expert conference focused on using rigorous, scientific evidence to inform policy interventions in fragile, conflict-affected, and underdeveloped settings. This year’s central theme is: Gender, Institutions, Fragility We will review the role of gender and institutions in the formation, functioning and impacts of fragility, insecurity, […]
What should we do when projects fail? To gloss over mistakes can be enticing. There is an incentive to ignore mistakes, especially when the political or social context is regards economic development cooperation sceptically. Despite that, there is large potential to increase effectiveness through open analysis. In this webinar, BRAC Europe and ISDC present possibilities […]
Guest co-editors: Andrew Foster, Philip Verwimp, Patricia Justino and Tilman Brück We are happy to announce that the Journal of Development Economics has just published a special feature on the topic of trust, development and conflict. While world events, on a daily basis, show us the saliency of this topic, few observers capture the depth […]
About the conference Fragile Lives 2025 is the second edition of an annual international expert conference focused on using rigorous, scientific evidence to inform policy interventions in fragile, conflict-affected, and underdeveloped settings. It will take place on 30 September and 1 October 2025 at Humboldt University in Berlin. This year’s central theme is: Gender, Institutions, […]
ISDC Founder and Director Tilman Brück has been appointed an Invited Researcher at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). J-PAL is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Drawing on its global network of more than 1,000 researchers, it conducts impact evaluations to […]
