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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

Danielle Resnick

Danielle Resnick is a Senior Research Fellow in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Unit and a Non-Resident Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution. Her research focuses on the political economy of agricultural policy and food systems, governance, and democratization, drawing on extensive fieldwork and policy engagement across Africa and South Asia.

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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

Director General’s Office (DGO)

Harold Alderman

Research Fellow Emeritus

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Bio

Harold Alderman is a Research Fellow Emeritus in the Director General’s Office. He has gravitated toward research on the economics of nutrition and food policy. His current research focuses on the linkages between nutrition and early child development and the means by which nutrition and social protection programs contribute to long-term economic growth. Harold spent 10 years at IFPRI prior to joining the World Bank in 1991, where he divided his time between the Development Research Group and advising the Africa region on social protection policy. He rejoined IFPRI in 2012. He has both a master’s degree in Nutrition from Cornell University and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University.

Publications

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Journal Article

The effects of cash and group therapy in the context of conflict: Evidence from a randomized evaluation in Ethiopia

2026Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; Deyessa, Negussie; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kalva, Parthu; Leight, Jessica; Mulford, Michael; Tambet, Heleene
Details

The effects of cash and group therapy in the context of conflict: Evidence from a randomized evaluation in Ethiopia

The prevalence of depression remains high in low-income contexts, particularly those affected by conflict. This paper reports on a randomized controlled trial conducted in rural Ethiopia assessing the effects of a psychological (group therapy) intervention delivered by non-specialist health staff, as well as a large one-time cash transfer delivered post-therapy. The trial includes three arms comparing group therapy, cash, and both jointly to a status quo control within a sample of individuals reporting some depressive symptoms or functional impairment at baseline. The study occurred between 2022 and 2024, during a period of active armed conflict. Findings show that sixteen months post-baseline, there are no persistent positive effects of group therapy alone; cash alone improves time use and economic outcomes. Group therapy and cash jointly improve psychosocial skills, time use, and economic outcomes, and in areas not affected by conflict, the joint intervention also improves mental health.

Year published

2026

Authors

Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; Deyessa, Negussie; Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kalva, Parthu; Leight, Jessica; Mulford, Michael; Tambet, Heleene

Citation

Hidrobo, Melissa; Alderman, Harold; Deyessa, Negussie; Gilligan, Daniel O.; et al. 2026. The effects of cash and group therapy in the context of conflict: Evidence from a randomized evaluation in Ethiopia. Journal of Development Economics 181(April 2026): 103724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2026.103724

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Poverty; Armed Conflicts; Cash Transfers; Social Protection; Group Approaches; Mental Health; Project Evaluation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2026.103724 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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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

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Do cash transfer programmes affect child anaemia? Results From a meta-analysis

2025Manley, James; Alderman, Harold
Details

Do cash transfer programmes affect child anaemia? Results From a meta-analysis

Childhood anaemia is common and debilitating. Nutrition-specific policies are effective for addressing anaemia in many contexts but less is known about nutrition-sensitive policies such as cash transfers. We reviewed over 4000 studies and gathered 26 estimates of the effect of cash transfer programmes on childhood haemoglobin and anaemia. Overall, neither the impact of cash on haemoglobin (0.065 d/L, CI [−0.054, 0.184]) nor on anaemia prevalence (−0.092, CI [−1.227, 1.042]) were significant. While cash on its own had basically a null effect, programmes that provided cash in combination with other interventions such as behaviour change communication or nutritional supplements were more successful. The impact of social protection on haemoglobin and anaemia is surprisingly understudied compared to height, on which a previous study found well over 100 impacts of cash transfer programmes. Overall impacts of cash transfer programmes on haemoglobin and anaemia are weak: evidence is inconclusive at best. Cash transfer programmes are more successful in combination with other programmes providing education and/or nutritional supplements.

Year published

2025

Authors

Manley, James; Alderman, Harold

Citation

Manley, James; and Alderman, Harold. 2025. Do cash transfer programmes affect child anaemia? Results From a meta-analysis. Maternal and Child Nutrition 21(3): e70026. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70026

Keywords

Cash Transfers; Children; Meta-analysis; Anaemia; Haemoglobin; Social Protection

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70026 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

Get ready to be schooled! (…about IFPRI’s research on education)
Research Post
 | 
January 24, 2023

Get ready to be schooled! (…about IFPRI’s research on education)

By Harold Alderman, Daniel O. Gilligan, Aulo Gelli, Naureen Karachiwalla, and Jessica Leight

Building incentives to foster more effective teaching and learning.

School feeding programs improve nutrition and child growth across generations: Evidence from India
Research Post
 | 
August 12, 2021

School feeding programs improve nutrition and child growth across generations: Evidence from India

By Suman Chakrabarti, Samuel Scott, Harold Alderman, Purnima Menon, and Daniel Gilligan

Research shows for the first time the benefits of a key type of social protection program extend years later to the children of recipients.

Ghana school lunch program linked to improved learning
Research Post
 | 
March 01, 2021

Ghana school lunch program linked to improved learning

By Elisabetta Aurino, Aulo Gelli, Clement Adamba, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Harold Alderman, and Honor Dearlove

A randomized control trial shows positive results on test scores.

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Events

The Economy-wide Impacts of School Meal Programs: Generating evidence on return on investment
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

September 11, 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 am

The Economy-wide Impacts of School Meal Programs: Generating evidence on return on investment

This webinar will explore the latest global evidence on how school feeding programs drive broad-based returns: boosting education, enhancing health outcomes, supporting local agriculture, and strengthening national development. The session will explore new findings from a randomized control trial (RCT), evaluating the longer-term economic impacts of Ghana’s national school feeding program, and ways this methodology […]

School meals in the 21st century - emerging evidence and future directions
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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January 28, 2025, 9:30 – 11:00 am

School meals in the 21st century – emerging evidence and future directions

Undernutrition during childhood and early adolescence has long-term consequences for development and health, and for girls it can affect the survival and wellbeing of their children. Diet-related risk factors are estimated to cause 20% of global mortality, and changes in food systems have led to rapid shifts to unhealthy diets and reductions in physical activity, […]

WTO Annual Agriculture Symposium 2024
IFPRI at External Event

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December 9, 2024, 10:00 – 7:00 pm

WTO Annual Agriculture Symposium 2024

The livestream will be available HERE on December 9, 2024 from 10:00am to 7:00pm (CET) / 4:00am to 1:00pm (EST). This year’s Annual Agriculture Symposium aims to explore the critical intersections between global trade policies, food systems, and nutrition outcomes. In a world where international trade has the potential to both alleviate and exacerbate malnutrition, […]

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News

September 11, 2019 | In the News

Why both poor and rich use the wrong diet (Knack Weekend)

Belgium’s Knack Weekend republished an opinion piece by Senior Researcher Fellows Derek Headey and Harold Alderman. Drawing on their recent study, the authors explained that as countries develop, their food systems get better at providing healthier foods cheaply, but they also get better at providing unhealthier foods cheaply. The authors offered Niger as a case […]

August 03, 2019 | In the News

The obstacles to a healthier life (Estado de Minas)

Brazil’s Estado de Minas reported on obstacles to healthier consumption and highlighted Senior Research Fellows Derek Headey and Harold Alderman’s relative caloric pricing research as evidence of economic barriers to better nutrition. The article quoted Headey, who emphasized that the poor often live in poor food systems, which limits access to nutrient-dense foods.

August 05, 2019 | In the News

Poor diets now a top risk factor in global disease burden–experts (Business Mirror)

The Philippines’ Business Mirror reported on Derek Headey and Harold Alderman’s study on relative caloric pricing, with a focus the data in the Philippines, including the fact that milk is 4.37 times more expensive than the country’s staple food. The article included Headey and Alderman’s recommendation that countries create more nutrition-focused policies.

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