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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

Lilia Bliznashka

Lily Bliznashka is a Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. Her research focuses on assessing the effectiveness of multi-input nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions and the mechanisms through which they work to improve maternal and child health and nutrition globally. She has worked in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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experts

Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion

Jessica Leight

Senior Research Fellow

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Bio

Jessica Leight is a Senior Research Fellow in the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit. Her research focuses on questions linked to social protection, multifaceted livelihoods interventions, agriculture, gender, health, and structural transformation. She conducts fieldwork in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Mozambique.

Before joining IFPRI, Jessica was an assistant professor of economics at American University and at Williams College. Jessica received a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MPhil in economics from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, and a BA from Yale University.

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Journal Article

“If you want to have sex you can, if you don’t, you don’t have to”: A qualitative evaluation of the Unite for a Better Life couples program to prevent intimate partner violence in rural Ethiopia

2026Sharma, Vandana; Pichon, Marjorie; Tewolde, Samuel; Solomon, Arsema; Deyessa, Negussie; Leight, Jessica
Details

“If you want to have sex you can, if you don’t, you don’t have to”: A qualitative evaluation of the Unite for a Better Life couples program to prevent intimate partner violence in rural Ethiopia

Background Gender-transformative programing targeting couples is an important strategy to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV), but questions around efficacy and safety remain. This qualitative study explores indications of change and unintended consequences of the gender-transformative Unite for a Better Life (UBL) intervention, using data from the couples’ and control arms of a cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) in Ethiopia. The cRCT found no impact on physical and psychological IPV and weak evidence of reductions in sexual IPV in the couples’ arm. Methods We analyzed 33 facilitator feedback questionnaires and 29 in-depth interviews (IDIs) among couples conducted approximately 30-months post intervention; 14 participated in UBL delivered to couples, and 15 were from the control arm. IDIs were conducted separately with each member of the couple and analyzed thematically in Dedoose to explore indications of change attributed to UBL. Results UBL couples attributed improved household task-sharing, communication, and joint decision-making to the program. Men and women developed more gender-equitable attitudes, leading to more fulfilling relationships. Additionally, most participants in violent relationships reported that UBL led to a reduction or cessation of physical and psychological IPV, and a complete cessation of sexual IPV. These effects were largely attributed to shifts at the individual level for men. Men developed better anger management skills, reduced their alcohol consumption, and increased their knowledge around the consequences of IPV. At the relational level, couples reported increased communication, particularly around sexual desire, and reduced conflict. Additionally, participants reported normative shifts, including decreased acceptance of IPV. There were no reports of changes in control participants nor of major unintended consequences. Conclusions When delivered to couples, UBL shows promise in shifting individual-level male factors and relational dynamics and reducing conflict and IPV. This suggests that engaging men in couples can be an effective and safe strategy for IPV prevention.

Year published

2026

Authors

Sharma, Vandana; Pichon, Marjorie; Tewolde, Samuel; Solomon, Arsema; Deyessa, Negussie; Leight, Jessica

Citation

Sharma, Vandana; Pichon, Marjorie; Tewolde, Samuel; Solomon, Arsema; Deyessa, Negussie; and Leight, Jessica. 2026. “If you want to have sex you can, if you don’t, you don’t have to”: A qualitative evaluation of the Unite for a Better Life couples program to prevent intimate partner violence in rural Ethiopia. BMC Public Health 26(1): 1135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25838-8

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Rural Areas; Domestic Violence; Sexual Violence; Qualitative Analysis; Gender-based Violence; Interventions

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25838-8 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Opinion Piece

Can cash and therapy work in conflict settings?

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

Can cash and therapy work in conflict settings?

A randomised evaluation of a cash and psychological intervention in Ethiopia shows that the joint intervention is needed to improve both mental health and economic outcomes, but the effectiveness of the combined intervention is attenuated by active conflict.

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.; Kalva, Parthu; et al. 2026. Can cash and therapy work in conflict settings? VoxDev opinion piece, published on 15 April 2026. https://voxdev.org/topic/institutions-political-economy/can-cash-and-therapy-work-conflict-settings

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Cash Transfers; Social Protection; Conflicts; Randomized Controlled Trials; Mental Health

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Opinion Piece

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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

Events

Advancing Poverty Graduation in Fragile Contexts: A New Agenda for Research and Policy
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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January 21, 2026, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Advancing Poverty Graduation in Fragile Contexts: A New Agenda for Research and Policy

Multifaceted livelihoods interventions that target households in extreme poverty are extremely effective in reducing extreme poverty, with consistent gains in income, consumption, savings, and psychosocial well-being. These interventions, often called graduation models, have been widely evaluated, but most evidence comes from stable rural settings. In fragile and conflict-affected environments where poverty is increasingly concentrated, household-level […]

From Relief to Resilience in Somalia: Harnessing Research to Inform Social Protection Policy and Practice
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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June 16, 2025, 3:30 – 5:00 pm

From Relief to Resilience in Somalia: Harnessing Research to Inform Social Protection Policy and Practice

Policymakers and program implementers in Somalia are increasingly recognizing the importance of complementing short-term support in the form of cash or in-kind transfers with interventions targeting longer-term development goals and poverty exit, a goal that cuts across both more traditional social protection systems and programming targeting internally displaced people. This webinar will bring together representatives […]

Generative AI for Food Systems: A Skills Workshop for Researchers
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

June 5, 2025, 9:30 – 10:30 am

Generative AI for Food Systems: A Skills Workshop for Researchers

This opening webinar launches IFPRI’s new series, AI for Food Systems Research. The series explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is being integrated into food, agriculture, and development research, with a focus on building the skills and critical understanding needed to use these tools responsibly. As outlined in the recent blog post, AI—and more recently, the expanding […]

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News

May 04, 2026 | In the News

Anti-poverty program is effective even in one of the world’s toughest settings (NPR)

Research shows that the “graduation” anti-poverty approach can be effective even in world’s hardest humanitarian contexts. NPR interviews IFPRI’s Jessica Leight, co-author of the study.