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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Liangzhi You

Liangzhi You is a Senior Research Fellow and theme leader in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit, based in Washington, DC. His research focuses on climate resilience, spatial data and analytics, agroecosystems, and agricultural science policy. Gridded crop production data of the world (SPAM) and the agricultural technology evaluation model (DREAM) are among his research contributions. 

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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Research by country and region

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TOPIC

Social Protection

Social protection aims to reduce poverty, increase opportunity, and strengthen individuals’ and households’ resilience to shocks. Social protection includes social assistance (such as cash transfers, public works, or school feeding), social insurance (such as old age pension, health insurance, and crop insurance), social care (such as family support services), and labor and economic inclusion (such as job search programs or economic inclusion programs). Social protection targets multiple risks (poverty, health, employment, natural disaster) at various stages of the life cycle (childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age).

IFPRI conducts rigorous impact evaluations on a variety of social protection programs, including unconditional and conditional cash transfer programs; emergency assistance in the form of cash and/or food; school feeding programs; maternal and child health and nutrition programs; public works programs; and insurance programs. These impact evaluations use state-of-the-art methodologies to evaluate the impacts of these policies and identify the most cost-effective designs for social protection programs.

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Evaluations in social protection have assessed effects on poverty and food security as well as a wide range of other outcomes, including maternal and child health and nutrition, women’s empowerment, intimate partner violence, financial inclusion, labor, schooling, and mental health. Recently, IFPRI has focused on assessing how social protection can protect the well-being of individuals and households in LMICs against negative impacts of climate change and facilitate their adaptation to a changing climate. IFPRI had conducted impact evaluations of social protection programs and related research in Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Malawi, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Turkey. It has also pointed to the important role these programs can play in crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and regional exposure to natural disasters.

IFPRI’s research on this topic is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG1, SDG2, and SDG16, and the CGIAR Impact Areas on Nutrition, Health, and Food Security; Poverty Reduction, Livelihoods, and Jobs; and Gender Equality, Youth, and Social Inclusion.

social_protection

topics

Publications

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Working Paper

Would you rather? Household choice between cash transfers or an economic inclusion program

2024Allen IV, James; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yassa, Basma
Details

Would you rather? Household choice between cash transfers or an economic inclusion program

We study households’ choice between continued cash transfers and a new economic inclusion program—two global prevalent social protection programs—offered by the Egyptian government. Lower-than-expected early adoption of the new program is correlated with differing perceptions on its design. We randomize official messaging to households describing the new program’s (i) consumption support duration and (ii) income-earning potential. Both treatments increase respondents’ likelihood of recommending the new program. A theoretical model estimated using households’ perceptions of program design predicts interest in the new program, and how it diminishes with increasing effort costs, asset loss probability, risk aversion and loss aversion.

Year published

2024

Authors

Allen IV, James; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kurdi, Sikandra; Yassa, Basma

Citation

Allen IV, James; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kurdi, Sikandra; and Yassa, Basma. 2024. Would you rather? Household choice between cash transfers or an economic inclusion program. MENA Working Paper 44. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/158340

Country/Region

Egypt

Keywords

Africa; Northern Africa; Social Protection; Poverty; Poverty Reduction; Cash Transfers

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Working Paper

Rainy day funds? How men and women adapt to heavy rainfall shocks and the role of cash transfers in Mali

2024Hidrobo, Melissa; Mueller, Valerie; Roy, Shalini; Fall, Cheikh Modou Noreyni; Lavaysse, Christophe; Belli, Anna
Details

Rainy day funds? How men and women adapt to heavy rainfall shocks and the role of cash transfers in Mali

Weather shocks can affect men and women differently, due in part to differences in their adaptive capacities. We merge weather data with survey data from a randomized control trial of a cash transfer program in Mali to describe how men and women cope with weather shocks and the role of cash transfer programs in supporting adaptive responses. We find that heavy rainfall reduces household’s consumption but that the cash transfer program mitigates these impacts, primarily by allowing households to draw down both men’s and women’s savings, increasing the value of livestock and farming assets held jointly by men and women, and facilitating a reallocation of men’s and women’s labor to livestock production and women’s labor to domestic work.

Year published

2024

Authors

Hidrobo, Melissa; Mueller, Valerie; Roy, Shalini; Fall, Cheikh Modou Noreyni; Lavaysse, Christophe; Belli, Anna

Citation

Hidrobo, Melissa; Mueller, Valerie; Roy, Shalini; Fall, Cheikh Modou Noreyni; Lavaysse, Christophe; and Belli, Anna. 2024. Rainy day funds? How men and women adapt to heavy rainfall shocks and the role of cash transfers in Mali. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2301. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

Country/Region

Mali

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Cash Transfers; Gender; Men; Rainfall; Shock; Women; Social Protection

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

Gender Equality

Record type

Working Paper

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Working Paper

The role of social assistance in African crises: A systematic literature review

2024Hirvonen, Kalle; Justino, Patricia; Oliveira, Rodrigo
Details

The role of social assistance in African crises: A systematic literature review

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of social assistance programmes in protecting households in Africa—a region highly vulnerable to climate change, conflict, and other shocks—during periods of crisis. Despite the significant increase in the number of these programmes over the past two decades, the need for emergency aid remains. Our review focuses on quantitative studies using microdata to assess the impact of these programmes on household income, poverty, assets, and food security outcomes during crises. We find that large, predictable, and consistent transfers are effective in protecting households and building resilience, as they enable households to accumulate buffer stocks and better plan for future shocks. However, challenges with timely implementation often hinder their effectiveness. Cash-plus programmes, which integrate consumption support with livelihood interventions, show particular promise in fostering long-term resilience, though the evidence base remains too limited to draw broader conclusions. JEL classification: O15, H53

Year published

2024

Authors

Hirvonen, Kalle; Justino, Patricia; Oliveira, Rodrigo

Citation

Hirvonen, Kalle; Justino, Patricia; and Oliveira, Rodrigo. 2024. The role of social assistance in African crises: A systematic literature review. WIDER Working Paper 2024/79. Helsinki: United Nations University. https://doi.org/10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2024/542-4

Keywords

Africa; Cash Transfers; Households; Resilience; Social Protection; Systematic Reviews

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.35188/unu-wider/2024/542-4 Source record

Project

Fragility, Conflict, and Migration

Record type

Working Paper

Blogs

Egypt’s experience bridging cash transfers and an economic inclusion program for sustainable social protection
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 18, 2024

Egypt’s experience bridging cash transfers and an economic inclusion program for sustainable social protection

By James Allen IV, Daniel Gilligan, Sikandra Kurdi, and Basma Yassa

A path for moving out of poverty.

Graduation from poverty: Can a big push program help conflict-affected households? Evidence from Somalia
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 17, 2024

Graduation from poverty: Can a big push program help conflict-affected households? Evidence from Somalia

By Kalle Hirvonen, Naureen Karachiwalla, Jessica Leight, and Deboleena Rakshit

Moving from assistance to self-sufficiency.

How anticipatory action can empower women in disaster-prone areas
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 12, 2024

How anticipatory action can empower women in disaster-prone areas

By Emily Myers, Katrina Kosec, Jordan Kyle, Agnes Quisumbing, Teresa Gonzales, Ana Madero, Caitlin Mittrick, and Amica Rapadas

How assistance programs can catalyze improvements in gender equality.

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Events

SPIR II RFSA Learning Event: Impact results workshops
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

December 9 to 10, 2024

SPIR II RFSA Learning Event: Impact results workshops

December 9, 2024 | 9:30am to 12:00pm (Africa/Addis_Ababa) | Video Recording | Presentation December 9, 2024 | 1:00pm to 3:30pm (Africa/Addis_Ababa) | Video Recording | Presentation December 10, 2024 | 9:30am to 12:45pm (Africa/Addis_Ababa) | Video Recording | Presentation Click HERE to view the agenda. The Strengthen PSNP Institutions and Resilience (SPIR II) Resilience Food […]

The Socio-Economic Impact of Armed Conflict on Sudanese Urban Households
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

November 4, 2024, 9:00 – 12:00 pm

The Socio-Economic Impact of Armed Conflict on Sudanese Urban Households

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has been concentrated in cities, with major impacts on urban households. Large numbers of families are displaced, employment is down dramatically, and most children are unable to go to school. A comprehensive survey conducted earlier this year by IFPRI’ Sudan Strategy Support Program and the United Nations Development Programme provides […]

Famines and Fragility: Making humanitarian, developmental, and peacebuilding responses work
Series/Special Event

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June 11, 2024, 9:30 – 11:15 am

Famines and Fragility: Making humanitarian, developmental, and peacebuilding responses work

Virtual Event: June 11, 2024 – 9:30 AM- 11:15 AM EDT. This seminar will take stock of what we know of key drivers about protracted food crises and persistent fragility and about the obstacles to successful HDP action.

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News

October 04, 2023 | In the News

In Middle East, poor miss out as ‘faulty’ algorithms target aid (Reuters) 

“Poverty assessment methods powered by algorithms are supposed to make payments fairer, but activists and researchers say such tools often wrongly exclude people,” writes Reuters in a story on new tools to benefit social protection.  Sikandra Kurdi, a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which was hired by the World Bank to […]

August 17, 2023 | In the News

90 Years of the IRC’s Partnerships: Making a difference together (International Rescue Committee) 

IRC mentions IFPRI in an article on its anniversary featuring organization’s history, achievements, and partnerships over the past 90 years.   “Over the last 90 years, the IRC has generated or partnered in the creation of more impact research in conflict zones than any other organization.”  “Google supported the IRC’s 2021 Anticipatory Action project in Nigeria, which […]

June 23, 2023 | In the News

WFP resilience program builds ‘buffers’ for Sahel in response to instability (UN News) 

WFP’s resilience programs in Burkina Faso and Niger in response to climate crises and anthropogenic shocks boosted food security and social cohesion, improving prospects for peace in both countries, new research shows, writes UN China.  The study, “Social Cohesion in Burkina Faso and Niger in the Sahel,” was published jointly by WFP, the International Food […]

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Our experts

Daniel Gilligan

Daniel Gilligan

Director, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI), Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Deanna Olney

Deanna Olney

Director, Nutrition, Diets, and Health (NDH), Nutrition,
Diets, and Health

Thomas Assefa

Thomas Assefa

Associate Research Fellow, Innovation
Policy and Scaling

Katrina Kosec

Katrina Kosec

Senior Research Fellow, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Mariam Dawoud

Mariam Dawoud

Program Manager, Development
Strategies and Governance

Razin Kabir

Razin Kabir

Senior Program Manager, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Hagar ElDidi

Hagar ElDidi

Senior Research Analyst, Natural
Resources and Resilience

Soyra Gune

Soyra Gune

Research Analyst, Nutrition,
Diets, and Health

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Cynthia Kazembe

Communications Manager, Development
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