Impact Evaluation of OCHA’s Anticipatory Action in Bentiu, South Sudan
In response to severe flooding in South Sudan, ISDC is evaluation an OCHA intervention in Bentiu.
Monitoring and Impact Analysis of the EU-Funded Smallholder Support Programme (SSP) for Agriculture Transformation
FAO Syria is implementing the “Smallholder Support Programme” (SSP). The main objective of this programme is to contribute to the transformation of the agriculture sector in Syria by empowering vulnerable smallholder farmers and livestock keepers to be more productive, efficient and profitable as well as more informed, self-organised and risk aware. Two year after programme […]
Violent conflict moderates food security impacts of agricultural asset transfers in Syria: A heterogeneity analysis using machine learning
Agricultural interventions are one of the key policy tools to strengthen the food security of households living in conflict settings. Yet, given the complex nature of conflict-affected settings, existing theories of change might not hold, leading to misinterpretation of the significance and magnitude of these impacts. How contextual factors, including exposure to conflict intensity, shape […]
Conducting Rigorous Impact Evaluations in Humanitarian Emergencies and Conflict Settings: A Research-to-Practice Training Workshop
Many consider Rigorous Impact Evaluations (RIEs) to be the gold standard in evaluating interventions. We agree. However, various methodological, ethical, and practical challenges to conducting RIEs in Humanitarian Emergencies and Conflict Settings (HECS) have raised questions about how well traditional RIE methods are well-suited to such settings. ISDC – International Security and Development Center has […]
Webinar: The impact of agricultural interventions in Syria
Do agricultural interventions have a positive impact on food security and nutrition in conflict settings? Since 2020, under the SEEDS project, ISDC – International Security and Development Center and the American University of Beirut have used multi-disciplinary novel methods to study the short- and long-term impacts of complex agricultural interventions in Syria. In this webinar, […]
Anticipating the impact of armed conflict on human development
Project Background Armed conflict reverses human development, yet its full impact remains poorly understood due to fragmented research across disciplines. This multidisciplinary project integrates economics, epidemiology, political science, and conflict studies to assess conflict’s effects on economies, health, and political institutions, using a risk-analysis framework to model hazard, exposure, and vulnerability while expanding early-warning systems […]
Melodie Al Daccache
Melodie Al Daccache is a Researcher in the Welfare Research Program at ISDC and a PhD candidate at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany. Her research focuses on food security, livelihoods, women’s health, and gender equity in crisis-affected settings. Her methodological area of expertise includes quasi-experimental impact evaluations, quantitative statistical analysis, and micro-level data collection. Melodie has […]
Dorothee Weiffen
Dr. Dorothee Weiffen is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Welfare Research 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 […]
Ghassan Baliki
Dr. Ghassan Baliki is the Director of the Welfare Research Program at ISDC. He obtained his PhD from Humboldt-University of Berlin, where he studied violent conflict dynamics in Syria at the micro-level. His current research focuses on the interlinkages between violent conflict and human welfare at the micro-level, with particular focus on food security and […]
