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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

David Spielman

David Spielman is the director of IFPRI’s Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit and has been with the institute since 2004. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agriculture and rural development policy; agricultural science, technology, and innovation; plant genetic resources and seed systems; agricultural extension and advisory services; and community-driven rural development.

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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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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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experts

Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse

Senior Research Fellow/Program Leader- Ethiopia

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Bio

Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Ethiopia. He is a development economist whose recent research covered agricultural transformation; impact evaluation (including impact evaluation of large multi-year public programs); social protection; individual psycho-social characteristics, behaviour, and well-being outcomes; risk and insurance, consumption patterns and demand elasticities; cooperatives; and inter‐sectoral linkages and growth. The bulk of Alemayehu’s research focuses on Ethiopia, with ongoing contributions to studies on Sudan and earlier work on sub-Sharan Africa. He is an Elected Fellow of the Econometric Society and the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences. Alemayehu has previously worked as an assistant professor of economics at Addis Ababa University and an economic affairs officer at the UNECA. He holds a BA in Economics from Addis Ababa University, an M.Sc. in Quantitative Development Economics from the University of Warwick, and a D.Phil. in Economics from the University of Oxford.

Research Gate

Google Scholar Citations

Publications

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Blog Post

Evidence-Led Solutions for Ethiopia’s Rural Transformation Challenges – Ethiopia Policy Innovation Hub – Launch and Policy Dialogue

2026Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Feye, Getachew
Details

Evidence-Led Solutions for Ethiopia’s Rural Transformation Challenges – Ethiopia Policy Innovation Hub – Launch and Policy Dialogue

Year published

2026

Authors

Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Feye, Getachew

Citation

Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Feye, Getachew. 2026. Evidence-Led Solutions for Ethiopia’s Rural Transformation Challenges – Ethiopia Policy Innovation Hub – Launch and Policy Dialogue. https://essp.ifpri.info/2026/03/24/evidence-led-solutions-for-ethiopias-rural-transformation-challenges/

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Policies; Innovation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Blog Post

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Journal Article

The future in mind: Aspirations and long-term outcomes in rural Ethiopia

2026Bernard, Tanguy; Dercon, Stefan; Orkin, Kate; Schinaia, Giulio; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum
Details

The future in mind: Aspirations and long-term outcomes in rural Ethiopia

Year published

2026

Authors

Bernard, Tanguy; Dercon, Stefan; Orkin, Kate; Schinaia, Giulio; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum

Citation

Bernard, Tanguy; Dercon, Stefan; Orkin, Kate; Schinaia, Giulio; and Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum. The future in mind: Aspirations and long-term outcomes in rural Ethiopia. Quarterly Journal of Economics. Article in press. First published on 19 January 2026. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjag002

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Rural Areas; Investment; Randomized Controlled Trials; Poverty Alleviation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjag002 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Working Paper

Rebuilding trust in local leadership in conflict-affected settings: The impact of community-based cash transfers

2025Abay, Kibrom A.; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Kahsay, Goytom Abraha; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum
Details

Rebuilding trust in local leadership in conflict-affected settings: The impact of community-based cash transfers

Trust in local leadership is critical for effective delivery of public goods and services -especially in conflict-affected and post-conflict settings, where local institutions and markets remain weak, and peacebuilding and recovery efforts are crucial. Thus, identifying avenues and instruments for rebuilding trust in local leadership remains important. Building on a recent and large-scale armed conflict in Ethiopia, we study the impact of a randomized community-based cash transfer on trust in local leadership. The randomized cash transfer was introduced after the war in Ethiopia and its implementation involved local community leaders, some of whom may have participated in the conflict. We find that exposure to armed conflict is associated with a significant deterioration in trust in local leaders, while the community-based cash transfer recovers some of the deteriorated trust. We provide suggestive evidence that the impacts of cash transfer are driven not only by those who received the cash transfer but also by non-beneficiary households in communities where the cash transfer is implemented. Our heterogeneity analysis reveals that the treatment effect is largely driven by poor households and households which do not benefit from government safety net programs. These results have important implications for policy design in rebuilding trust in local leadership in post-conflict and fragile settings.

Year published

2025

Authors

Abay, Kibrom A.; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Kahsay, Goytom Abraha; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum

Citation

Abay, Kibrom A.; Nigus, Halefom Yigzaw; Kahsay, Goytom Abraha; and Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum. 2025. Rebuilding trust in local leadership in conflict-affected settings: The impact of community-based cash transfers. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2370. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177383

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Armed Conflicts; Cash Transfer; Governance; Institutions; Leaders

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

Blogs

Sudan’s ongoing conflict disrupts agrifood processing and aggravates unemployment
Research Post
 | 
December 15, 2023

Sudan’s ongoing conflict disrupts agrifood processing and aggravates unemployment

By Oliver K. Kirui, Khalid Siddig, Hala Abushama, and Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse

Food system impacts of war,

Informing policies with causal impact evaluations: Co-creation and trust matter
Research Post
 | 
December 06, 2023

Informing policies with causal impact evaluations: Co-creation and trust matter

By Kibrom Abay, Akhter Ahmed, Clemens Breisinger, Naureen Karachiwalla, Sikandra Kurdi, and Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse

IFPRI assessments provide key information for policymakers.

Teff love: Ethiopia’s staple crop requires a big push
Issue Post
 | 
August 24, 2018

Teff love: Ethiopia’s staple crop requires a big push

By Bart Minten, Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, and Smita Aggarwal

A new book explores the potential for expanding production of one of Ethiopia's signature crops.

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Events

Three Years of Conflict: What the Evidence Tells Us and What Recovery Requires
Series/Special Event

 | 

April 14 to 15, 2026

Three Years of Conflict: What the Evidence Tells Us and What Recovery Requires

April 2026 marks three years since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, which has severely disrupted economic activity, food systems, and social services. More than half of the country’s population is in need of assistance, and communities, markets, and institutions are under unprecedented pressure. Recent evidence from IFPRI and others highlights the scale and […]

Shaping Food Policy in a Changing World: Research Priorities for Greater Impact
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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December 15, 2025, 9:00 – 4:00 pm

Shaping Food Policy in a Changing World: Research Priorities for Greater Impact

In today’s fast-changing world and evolving food systems, the need for evidence-based food policy has never been more urgent – demanding research that is timely, inclusive, and tailored to context. Reliable data and rigorous analysis are essential, but research must also evolve – and become more timely, more relevant, and more inclusive of diverse voices […]

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

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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 […]

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News

July 19, 2018 | Press Release

NEW BOOK: Higher Investments in Research, Adoption of New Technologies to Improve Productivity and Export Potential of Teff

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia could increase production of its gluten-free and nutrient-rich cash crop teff, and tap into the expanding domestic and international markets, by ramping up investments in basic research; adopting new and better technologies; improving input distribution systems; and extending markets , according to a new book launched by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Addis Ababa today.   “Teff makes a considerable contribution to Ethiopians’ incomes and food security, and has potential to provide […]

August 22, 2018 | In the News

Teff love: Ethiopia’s staple crop requires a big push (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

Thomson Reuters Foundation published an op-ed by IFPRI researchers Bart Minten and Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse analyzing the current value chain of Ethiopia’s staple grain, teff.  Still a nascent cash crop, Minten and Taffesse list various challenges, and provide recommendations to increase production and marketability of teff drawing from their new book, The Economics of Teff: […]

July 20, 2018 | In the News

More investment in research could improve Ethiopia’s teff crop (African Independent)

The African Independent summarized findnigs of a new book on Ethiopian teff.

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Research

Topics/Countries

Awards

  • Elected Fellow, The Econometric Society, 2022
  • Elected Fellow, The Ethiopian Academy of Sciences (EAS), 2018