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With research staff from more than 70 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

Timothy Thomas

Timothy Thomas is a Senior Research Fellow in the Foresight and Policy Modeling Unit. His research focuses on the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity. Tim’s work involves developing innovative methods for simulated climate futures and model coordination between climate, crop, water, energy, and economics.

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Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 480 employees working in over 70 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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partnerships

World Vision is a Christian non-governmental organization that is dedicated to helping the poor and oppressed throughout the world. World Vision helps to promote human transformation and seek justice through community-based and sustainable development specifically geared towards helping children. World Vision provides services such as emergency relief, spiritual and social transformation through church partnerships and public awareness.

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Publications

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Brief

The impact of a nutrition-sensitive graduation model on child nutrition: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia

2026Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Mesfin, Hiwot; Mulford, Michael; Tesfaye, Haleluya
Details

The impact of a nutrition-sensitive graduation model on child nutrition: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia

This brief reports on a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial of 3,015 households evaluating the effectiveness of SPIR II, a nutrition-sensitive graduation model implemented in Ethiopia. The full treatment package—combining nutrition-focused behavior change communication (BCC), village economics and savings associations, monthly maternal cash transfers of US$20, and a one-time livelihood grant of US$300—generates large, sustained improvements in child diet quality, household consumption, livestock holdings, and formal savings. A substantial reduction in childhood stunting (7 percentage points) is observed in the same sub-arm; BCC alone improves caregiver nutrition knowledge but does not lead to improved child feeding or growth. The benefit-cost ratio is nearly two, suggesting the program more than pays for itself.

Year published

2026

Authors

Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Mesfin, Hiwot; Mulford, Michael; Tesfaye, Haleluya

Citation

Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hirvonen, Kalle; Leight, Jessica; Mesfin, Hiwot; Mulford, Michael; and Tesfaye, Haleluya. 2026. The impact of a nutrition-sensitive graduation model on child nutrition: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia. IFPRI Project Note. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/182850

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Impact; Nutrition; Child Nutrition; Modelling; Randomized Controlled Trials; Benefit-cost Ratio

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Opinion Piece

Can simpler, cheaper graduation programmes still deliver?

2026Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; Mulford, Michael
Details

Can simpler, cheaper graduation programmes still deliver?

A randomised evaluation of a lower-cost graduation-style programme in rural Ethiopia finds modest gains in savings and livestock income but no sustained improvements in consumption or food security, suggesting that smaller transfers and lighter support may be insufficient to help extremely poor households escape poverty, particularly in shock-prone settings.

Year published

2026

Authors

Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; Mulford, Michael

Citation

Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; and Mulford, Michael. 2026. Can simpler, cheaper graduation programmes still deliver? VoxDev opinion piece, published 25 March 2026. https://voxdev.org/topic/social-protection/can-simpler-cheaper-graduation-programmes-still-deliver

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Programmes; Aid Programmes; Randomized Controlled Trials; Rural Areas; Poverty Reduction

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Opinion Piece

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Journal Article

Can a light-touch graduation model enhance livelihood outcomes? Evidence from Ethiopia

2026Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; Mulford, Michael
Details

Can a light-touch graduation model enhance livelihood outcomes? Evidence from Ethiopia

Year published

2026

Authors

Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; Mulford, Michael

Citation

Leight, Jessica; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; and Mulford, Michael. 2026. Can a light-touch graduation model enhance livelihood outcomes? Evidence from Ethiopia. Journal of Development Economics 179(February 2026): 103682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103682

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Models; Livelihoods; Poverty; Cash Transfers; Livestock; Food Security; Savings Group; Social Protection

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103682 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

The early bird gets the cash: When should a scholarship for secondary school arrive? Evidence from Ethiopia
Research Post
 | 
July 14, 2026

The early bird gets the cash: When should a scholarship for secondary school arrive? Evidence from Ethiopia

By Jessica Leight

Research insights to mark World Youth Skills Day.

All in together? How communities contribute to school meals programs
Research Post
 | 
November 24, 2025

All in together? How communities contribute to school meals programs

By James Allen IV, Naureen Karachiwalla, and Deboleena Rakshit

The dynamics of cooperation.