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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

Carlo Azzarri

Carlo Azzarri is a Senior Research Fellow in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. His work focuses on the relationships among poverty, nutrition, food security, agriculture, the environment, production, and migration—analyzed at both micro and macroeconomic levels, primarily using quantitative methods.

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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 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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TOPIC

Governance

Governance refers to how power and authority are used to manage the collective affairs of a community, society, or nation. Institutions are the systems of formal and informal rules that enable the development of policies, cooperation, and innovation. While there is no singular definition of ‘good governance,’ it usually refers to governance systems that are capable of delivering on objectives, are socially inclusive, responsive to information and needs, efficient, and accountable to citizens.

Sound institutions and good governance—from the local to the global level—are central to the effective functioning of food systems, and more broadly to reducing rural poverty, hunger, malnutrition, and social inequality, as well as conserving natural resources. They are equally important for promoting civic participation in political affairs and mutual accountability between leaders and citizens. Poor governance can contribute to economic and social inequities, conflict and a lack of social cohesion, unsustainable and inefficient resource use, poor delivery of public services and infrastructure, and lack of accountability for governments and leaders, all of which can worsen food insecurity and poverty. Governance systems worldwide, meanwhile, are also under increasing pressure from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, debt and fiscal crises, climate change, and inequality.

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IFPRI’s governance research focuses on property rights, collective action, and service delivery, as well as government accountability and elevating the voices and inclusion of marginalized groups in governance, including women. Our work analyzes the role of institutions and governance arrangements, as well as the related policy processes, in promoting food security and nutrition, poverty reduction, resilience to climate change, social cohesion, gender equality, and environmental health. These include policies for strengthening property rights (including land tenure), inclusive and effective collective action, multi-stakeholder deliberations and platforms, pro-poor public investments and policies, and how to improve service delivery. IFPRI’s work also analyzes the political economy of climate change governance and food systems transformation.

governance

topics

Publications

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Preprint

Governing informality: Drivers of service provision in Nigeria’s food wholesale markets

2025Resnick, Danielle; Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O.; Chugh, Aditi
Details

Governing informality: Drivers of service provision in Nigeria’s food wholesale markets

How does governance affect service provision in Nigeria’s wholesale food markets? Sufficient services, such as water, waste collection, and toilet access, are essential for enhancing the safety of healthy and nutritious foods, such as vegetables and fish, and improving the welfare of those who depend on informal trade for their livelihoods. However, these are often substandard in many informal markets, exposing traders and consumers who rely on such markets to higher levels of foodborne hazards and undermining the efficacy of other food safety interventions. Using data from 299 wholesale markets across seven states and the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, this paper examines how four governance mechanisms-incentives, information, authority, and capacity-are associated with five services: waste collection, market toilet access, water provision, electricity, and security. We find that having an elected, rather than appointed, market chairperson positively influences waste collection and provision of security. By contrast, larger utility investments, such as water and electricity, are less influenced by governance structures within the markets. Markets located in local government areas (LGAs) under appointed rather than elected governments are associated with worse performance across all services, demonstrating that efforts to address market service delivery need to be embedded in a holistic understanding of multi-level governance dynamics. The findings emphasize that improving food safety and traders’ welfare via better service delivery requires empowering stakeholders in informal market governance who not only hold the authority to deliver a diverse set of services but also possess the political incentives to do so.

Year published

2025

Authors

Resnick, Danielle; Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O.; Chugh, Aditi

Citation

Resnick, Danielle; Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O.; and Chugh, Aditi. 2025. Governing informality: Drivers of service provision in Nigeria’s food wholesale markets. SSRN Preprint available online April 29, 2025. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5207422

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Food Safety; Governance; Markets; Waste Collection

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Preprint

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Working Paper

‘Gold runs through these trees’: Preferences for ecosystems payment programs in Papua New Guinea

2025Mukerjee, Rishabh; Schmidt, Emily; Holtemeyer, Brian
Details

‘Gold runs through these trees’: Preferences for ecosystems payment programs in Papua New Guinea

This item is currently unavailable due to an in-process journal submission. Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs (such as REDD+ and voluntary carbon credit programs) have been designed to provide improved forest governance, reduced carbon emissions and diversified income sources for forest communities. However, recent evaluations of REDD+ projects across diverse countries have shown mixed results. In 2022, the government of Papua New Guinea put a moratorium on voluntary carbon credit programs due to inadequately specified processes on contract design and targeting, resulting in ongoing deforestation and lack of transparent remuneration in participating communities under select programs. As the country reassesses how to engage in voluntary carbon credit programs, this study aims to inform the design of PES programs tailored to meet the needs of forest landholders. Using recently collected rural household survey data, we evaluate the unique characteristics that are correlated with forest-owning households’ likelihood of accepting a PES contract. The discrete choice experiments included in the survey, and complementary focus group discussions suggest that forest landholders prefer PES contracts with higher financial incentives and lower land area commitments, requiring an additional $39.07 per hectare per year to preserve all forested land compared to committing half of their forested land to a PES contract. Other factors, such as household size, the use of forest land for timber production and commercial logging, ongoing forest preservation activities within a community and market access also influence respondents’ preferences for PES contracts.

Year published

2025

Authors

Mukerjee, Rishabh; Schmidt, Emily; Holtemeyer, Brian

Citation

Mukerjee, Rishabh; Schmidt, Emily; Holtemeyer, Brian; Gimiseve, Harry; and Safi, Wendy. 2025. ‘Gold runs through these trees’: Preferences for ecosystems payment programs in Papua New Guinea. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2327. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173423

Country/Region

Papua New Guinea

Keywords

Oceania; Ecosystems; Forest Governance; Households; Payment Agreements; Willingness to Pay

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Journal Article

Polycentric governance of commons through multi-stakeholder platforms: Insights from two case studies in India

2025ElDidi, Hagar; Rawat, Shivanyaa; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Chaturvedi, Rahul; Sanil, Richu
Details

Polycentric governance of commons through multi-stakeholder platforms: Insights from two case studies in India

This paper examines the complexities of commons governance, focusing on the role of multistakeholder platforms (MSPs) in addressing tensions among diverse decision-making centers. Drawing on the experiences of the Indian NGO Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) in Gujarat and Odisha, the study analyzes two MSPs operating at the block level, engaging communities, government, and private sector actors. Through surveys, interviews, and analysis of institutional reports, the research identifies key benefits of MSPs, including enhanced multi-stakeholder engagement, scale, and enabling conditions. It argues that MSPs can effectively support polycentric governance by facilitating inter-community collaboration, strengthening local voices, and building trust over time. The study also underscores the importance of external actors like NGOs in supporting community agency and fostering collaboration across different governance levels.

Year published

2025

Authors

ElDidi, Hagar; Rawat, Shivanyaa; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Chaturvedi, Rahul; Sanil, Richu

Citation

ElDidi, Hagar; Rawat, Shivanyaa; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth; Chaturvedi, Rahul; and Sanil, Richu. Polycentric governance of commons through multi-stakeholder platforms: insights from two case studies in India. Environment, Development and Sustainability. Article in press. First published online on April 12, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04896-9

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Commons; Multi-stakeholder Processes; Governance; Stakeholders; Non-governmental Organizations; Collective Action

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04896-9 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

Integrating gender and nutrition into climate policy: Insights from the GCAN Initiative in Nigeria
IFPRI Blog
 | 
May 12, 2025

Integrating gender and nutrition into climate policy: Insights from the GCAN Initiative in Nigeria

By Musa Tukur Yakasai, Bello Yakasai, Yohanna Moses, Bedru Balana, Elizabeth Bryan, Augustine Iraoya, and Claudia Ringler

Grounding action in research and collaboration.

Policy change and farmer feedback: Does anonymity matter? Evidence from Uzbekistan
IFPRI Blog
 | 
January 28, 2025

Policy change and farmer feedback: Does anonymity matter? Evidence from Uzbekistan

By Anton Liutin, Paul Castañeda Dower, and Muzna Alvi

Gauging efforts to build water security.

From crisis to recovery: How CGIAR’s BRIGHT Survey can catalyze evidence-based policy reforms in Sri Lanka
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 20, 2024

From crisis to recovery: How CGIAR’s BRIGHT Survey can catalyze evidence-based policy reforms in Sri Lanka

By Derek Headey, Joanna van Asselt, Olivier Ecker, and Jean Balié

Research can shape a new government’s decision-making.

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Events

Food for All: International Organizations and the Transformation of Agriculture
IFPRI Policy Seminar

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March 22, 2022, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Food for All: International Organizations and the Transformation of Agriculture

Virtual Event: March 22, 2022 – 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM EDT. This event features a panel discussion on global governance, food security and nutrition, poverty reduction, and gender.

Can agricultural policies deliver better value for money for people, the planet, and the economy?
IFPRI Policy Seminar

 | 

February 2, 2022, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Can agricultural policies deliver better value for money for people, the planet, and the economy?

Virtual Event: Feb 02, 2022 – 09:30 AM to 11:00 AM EST. This policy seminar will present a summary of the latest IFPRI-World Bank research findings and feature speakers discussing the need for more rapid adoption of technological solutions that foster less emissions-intensive productivity growth across developed and developing countries alike.

Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro) Project Impact Evaluation Results Dissemination Workshop
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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October 28, 2021, 2:00 – 3:30 pm

Innovation for Agribusiness (InovAgro) Project Impact Evaluation Results Dissemination Workshop

Virtual Event: OCT 28, 2021 – 02:00 PM to 03:30 PM CAT. This workshop will disseminate the results of the impact evaluation of the InovAgro project's interventions. 

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News

April 04, 2025 | Press Release

Steven Were Omamo appointed IFPRI’s Director for Africa

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is pleased to announce that Steven Were Omamo has been appointed IFPRI’s Director for Africa. Dr. Omamo will also continue to serve as IFPRI’s Director of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit (DSG). Based in IFPRI’s Nairobi, Kenya office, Omamo joined IFPRI in October 2024. “We are delighted […]

October 07, 2024 | Press Release

Steven Were Omamo joins IFPRI as the new Director of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit

IFPRI is pleased to announce that Steven Were Omamo joins IFPRI as the new Director of the DSG Unit.

July 02, 2024 | Press Release

Global crisis: 1.7 billion people in urban and peri-urban areas face food insecurity

New UN report highlights urgent need to strengthen urban and peri-urban food systems for global food security and nutrition.

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Our experts

Steven Were Omamo

Steven Were Omamo

Director, Development Strategies and Governance (DSG); Director for Africa, Development
Strategies and Governance

Durjoy Dey

Durjoy Dey

Research Analyst, Development
Strategies and Governance

Jordan Kyle

Jordan Kyle

Research Fellow, Poverty,
Gender, and Inclusion

Purnima Menon

Purnima Menon

Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy; Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategy, Markets,
Trade, and Institutions, Nutrition, Diets, and Health, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion