The MENA region is characterized by several interrelated socio-economic trends including rapidly growing populations, on average high degrees of (youth) unemployment, strong gender differences in terms of labor market participation, and political radicalization. The countries in the region often have weak and/or authoritarian central government institutions, declining public revenues from natural resources except in a […]
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. […]
ADB Country Diagnostic Study: Kyrgyz Republic: Improving Growth Potential
This study presents an in-depth analysis of the sector reforms needed to enable the Kyrgyz Republic to achieve higher and more sustainable economic growth. Dr Damir Esenaliev of ISDC has co-authored the chapter titled on Human Resources for Inclusive Growth.
Return Migration and Self Employment: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan
A common finding of the migration literature is that migrants are more likely to choose self-employment upon return to their origin countries than non-migrants. This has led to the belief that return migration stimulates entrepreneurship in source countries and hence supports economic development. In this paper, we test these assertions, drawing on the Life in […]
New Publication on Gender Earnings Inequality and Wage Policy in Kyrgyzstan published in Comparative Economic Studies
New paper by Damir Esenaliev and Kathryn H. Anderson on gender earnings inequality and wage policy in Kyrgyzstan has been published in Comparative Economic Studies. The findings show that the policy reform conducted in 2011 to increase the wages for teachers, health and social workers not only reduced wage gap in these sectors compared to non-reformed sectors, but also had a pronounced gender gap narrowing effect in the reform sectors and economy-wide.
Gender Earnings Inequality and Wage Policy: Teachers, Health Care, and Social Workers in Central Asia
The policy reform conducted in 2011 in Kyrgyzstan to increase the wages for teachers, health and social workers not only reduced wage gap in these sectors compared to non-reformed sectors, but also had a pronounced gender gap narrowing effect in the reform sectors and economy-wide.
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.
Call for Sessions and Papers: 5th Annual ‘Life in Kyrgyzstan’ Conference
Call for Papers and Sessions is open for the 5th Annual ‘Life in Kyrgyzstan’ Conference that will be held in Bishkek on 23-24 October 2019. The deadline is 16 June 2019.
Wim Naudé
Wim Naudé is Research Affiliate at ISDC, Visiting Professor at RWTH Aachen University and Research Fellow at the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, in Germany. He is also a Fellow at the Africa Study Centre at the University of Leiden, and a Full Professor atthe Maastricht School of Management, both in the Netherlands. His research […]
Can Jobs Programs Build Peace
Over $10bn has been spent on programmes that assume that building employment also builds peace. We show that while there are good reasons to think this money is not spent fruitlessly, there remains a structural lack of empirical confirmation of these theories.
Damir Esenaliev joins ISDC
Dr Damir Esenaliev joined ISDC as a Senior Researcher in January 2019. He brings topical expertise on peace-building, social cohesion, human development, labor markets, inequality, and rural development, and regional expertise in Central Asian and transition economies. Damir also has extensive experience designing and conducting panel data collection and impact evaluations. He will continue his […]
Analysis, Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (ADMEL): Designing a Process for Learning from Employment for Stability Programming
Often, development organisations engage in “big push” ex post impact evaluations, where significant amounts of bespoke data are collected at the end of the programme. In this short paper, we argue that such funds can be used better by integrated an on-going learning component into standard ADME.
Jobs Aid Peace: Review of the Theory and Practice of the Impact of Employment Programmes on Peace in Fragile and Conflict-affected Countries
Over $10bn has been spent on programmes that assume that building employment also builds peace. We show that while there are good reasons to think this money is not spent fruitlessly, there remains a structural lack of empirical confirmation of these theories.
The Impact of Job Quality on Wellbeing: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan
The theories that explain relationships between welfare and work do not provide clear insight for developing countries. In this paper, we confirm that hours worked and income are insufficient to explain the relationship between jobs and wellbeing in a developing country.
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.
Analyzing the Link Between Employment Programs and Social Stability – Phase II
A short- and medium-term impact evaluation of Mercy Corps’ DSH-ARC funded TVET programs for host and displaced communities in Lebanon and Syria, with the dual focus on boosting the employment prospects and improving intergroup perceptions of program beneficiaries.
Rural Youth in the Context of Fragility and Conflict
Conflict disproportionately takes place in countries with large numbers of young people living in rural areas. Yet, this group is seldom the specific focus of analysis in the conflict or rural development literatures. The project outlines what can be learned from prior literature and how it can be applied to rural youth.
Analysis, Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (ADMEL): Designing a Process for Learning from Employment for Stability Programming
This project develops a new “Learning Component” that compliments traditional Analysis, Design, Monitoring and Evaluation (ADME) in the development and analysis of third-party interventions.
Analyzing the Link Between Employment Programs and Social Stability – Phase I
This seed project brings together members of Mercy Corps field teams with ISDC researchers to generate jointly a research design for an impact evaluation of employment for peacebuilding programs in the Middle East.
Does Opportunity Reduce Instability? A Meta-Analysis of Skills and Employment Interventions in LMICs
The idea that employment can build peace underpins over USD 10bn of development spending in fragile countries. By contrast, the evidence base that employment programming delivers on this promise is scant. In this project, we aim to close some of the knowledge gaps inherent within this delineation.