Michelle Adato, a development sociologist, is a Senior Research Fellow in the Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division at IFPRI. She co-leads IFPRI’s Global and Regional Program on Large Scale Human Capital Interventions, and is the theme leader on AIDS, Community Resilience and Social Protection for IFPRI’s Regional Network on AIDS, Livelihoods and Food Security (RENEWAL) in southern and East Africa. Her main area of research focuses on social protection and other interventions that aim to reduce poverty and improve health, nutrition, and education. She has also worked on employment and livelihoods support programs, governance and policy processes, and community-driven development. She has conducted impact evaluations and served as a policy advisor on these topics for governments in Latin America, Asia, and Africa for over thirteen years. Michelle received a Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a B.A. from Colorado College.

• Large-Scale Human Capital Interventions
• HIV/AIDS and Food Security
• Conditional Cash Transfers in El Salvador

• Southern Africa
• Central America

• Conditional Cash Transfers in Latin America: A Magic Bullet to Reduce Poverty?
  Forthcoming. Adato, Michelle and John Hoddinott, editors. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
• Agricultural Research, Livelihoods and Poverty: Studies of Economic and Social Impacts in Six Countries.
  2007. Adato, Michelle and Meinzen-Dick, Ruth, editors. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
• Social protection in the context of HIV and AIDS: The potential of cash transfers to protect Children’s Education, Health, and Nutrition.
  Forthcoming. Adato, Michelle and Bassett, Lucy. AIDS Care.
• Combining Survey and Ethnographic Methods to Improve Evaluation of Conditional Cash Transfer Programs.
  2008. Adato, Michelle. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, Vol. 2, No. 2.
• Social Protection: Opportunities for Africa.
  2008. Adato, Michelle and Hoddinott, John.IFPRI Policy Brief 5, Washington, DC: IFPRI. (Download)
• Methodological Innovations in Research on the Dynamics of Poverty: A Longitudinal Study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
  2007. Adato, Michelle, Lund, Francie, and Mhlongo, Phakama. World Development. Vol. 35, No. 2 .
• Understanding Rural Poverty and Investment in Agriculture: An Assessment of Integrated Quantitative and Qualitative Research in Western Kenya.
  2007. Place, Frank, Adato, Michelle, and Hebinck, Paul.World Development. Vol. 35, No. 2.
• Exploring Poverty Traps and Social Exclusion in South Africa Using Qualitative And Quantitative Data
  2006. Adato, Michelle, Michael Carter and Julian May. Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 42, No. 2.
• Targeting and Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Social Benefits, Social Costs
  2005. Adato, Michelle. In Pobreza, Realidades y Desafíos, ed. J. Boltvenik and A. Damián. Mexico City: Siglo XXI Editores
• Power, Politics, and Performance: Community Participation in South African Public Works Programs
  2005. Adato, Michelle, John Hoddinott, and Lawrence Haddad. IFPRI Research Report 143.