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 […]
Anke Hoeffler
Anke Hoeffler is a Research Affiliate at ISDC. Her research is in the areas of development and security. She is one of the most widely cited social scientists and received an Alexander von Humboldt professorship, Germany’s highest award for international research. In February 2019 she left the University of Oxford and moved to the University […]
Andrej Smirnov
Andrej Smirnov is a Research Assistant at ISDC. His Research interest include the interaction between inequality and growth, migration and economics of conflict. At ISDC, Andrej works on the “Gendered Dimension of Forced Displacement” project and assists with data analysis in the “Life with Corona” survey. Previously Andrej held Research Assistant positions at DeZIM-Institute (German […]
Laura Peitz
Laura Peitz is a Researcher at ISDC and a PhD Researcher at The Hertie School in Berlin as part of the Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS). Her research interests include UN peacebuilding efforts, micro-level dynamics of violence, development finance, Multilateral Development Banks and private sector engagement in development. Among others, Laura […]
Gabija Verbaite
Gabija Verbaite is an intern at ISDC. Her diverse research interests include interdisciplinary analysis of Eastern Europe, namely, how trust, corruption, and informality affect the post-communist social and economic development. At ISDC, Gabija is working on a research project “Inequality and Governance in Unstable Democracies: The Mediating Role of Trust.” Currently, she is also assisting […]
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. […]
What Works And What’s Next For Social Stability In Jordan?
The Syrian refugee influx into Jordan has heightened risks of conflict and insecurity in what has long been considered a bastion of stability in the region. Tensions between host and refugee populations over already- limited public services and employment opportunities have exacerbated existing grievances Jordanians hold against the government, and increase the risk of civil […]
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.
Rural Youth in the Context of Fragility and Conflict
At least 350 million young people living in rural areas are exposed to conflict each year. Despite the disproportionate levels of exposure to violence this implies, surprisingly little is known about how rural young people experience conflict, and in turn, about the programmes that can help to mitigate associated adversities.
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 […]
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 […]
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.
Micro-level Linkages between Poverty and Fragility
An AERC-commissioned study analyzing the micro-level interlinkages between poverty and fragility based on panel data from Kenya.
Philipp Schröder
Dr Philipp Schröder is a Research Affiliate with ISDC and a lecturer at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Freiburg. His current research project focuses on the ethnography of trade and translocal livelihoods in Eurasia, in particular Kyrgyzstan, Russia and China. Previously, Philipp was a member of the research group on ‘Integration […]
Maren M. Michaelsen
Dr. Maren M. Michaelsen is a Research Affiliate at ISDC. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Integrative Health Care and Health Promotion in the Faculty of Health at Witten/Herdecke University, where she works as a behavioural economist on a “Nudging for health” project in an interdisciplinary team. Her research interests are […]
Sami Miaari
Sami Miaari is currently a Lecturer at the Department of Labor Studies in Tel-Aviv University and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University and an ISDC Affiliate. Dr. Miaari’s research focuses on labor economics, the economic causes and consequences of conflict, including the economic costs of political instability and the […]
Money Changes Everything? Education and Regional Deprivation Revisited
It is very well established that conflict damages human capital accumulation of those exposed to violence. In this article, we hint at a much longer-term regional perspective. Areas that experience war in previous generations are the most deprived today and suffer poorer education performance than non-affected areas.
ISDC co-hosts the Fourth Annual Life in Kyrgyzstan conference in Bishkek
The Fourth Annual Life in Kyrgyzstan (LiK) conference took place in Bishkek on 17-18 October 2018. The academic event was attended by over 150 participants from 11 countries. The conference was organised by the University of Central Asia’s (UCA) Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA), Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), and ISDC – International Security and Development Center. […]