Please find below projects supported by the Peace & Recovery Competitive Fund, with funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Open Society Foundations.

• Round VIII (Fall 2024)
• Round VII (Winter 2021)
• Off-Cycle (COVID-19)
• Round VI (Spring 2021)
• Round V (Fall 2019)
• Round IV (Spring 2019)
• Round III (Fall 2018)
• Round II (Spring 2018)
• Round I (Fall 2017)
• Off-Cycle
   

Projects Funded During Round VIII (Fall 2024)

Binging the Gap: Promoting Cohesion through an Edutainment Web Series on Venezuelan Migrants 
Researchers: Eliana La Ferrara, Andrei Kim
Country: Colombia
Partner: Dirty Kitchen, World Bank
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

Venezuelan migrants in Colombia often encounter xenophobia and exclusion, heightened by misinformation circulated on social media. To help counter these dynamics and improve public perceptions of migrants, Colombian audiovisual company Dirty Kitchen is partnering with the World Bank on a new edutainment intervention–a web series designed to engage and inform through storytelling that seeks to enhance message retention and emotional processing. Produced in Colombia, the series tackles challenges faced by migrants, emphasizing their resilience. Its novel format of short episodes distributed on digital platforms aims to reach audiences prone to misinformation on social media while remaining low-cost and scalable. To evaluate this intervention, researchers plan to vary the frequency, content, and format of the web series, while also grouping participants by gender and initial attitudes. The results will inform scalable strategies for fostering cohesion, reducing xenophobia, and preventing violence against migrants.

Peace through Intergroup Contact (PIC)
Researchers: Solomon Walelign, Ruth Ditlmann, Tenaw Abate, Tefera Taw, Lingerh Akalu, Cecilia Mo, Habtamu Edjigu 
Country: Ethiopia
Partner: University of Gondar, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Peace and Ministry of Education
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No

In Ethiopia, the federal system is structured around ethno-linguistic regional states, where administrative boundaries correspond to dominant ethnic groups. As a result, most people live and work within regions primarily inhabited by their own ethnic group, limiting everyday contact between people from different ethnic backgrounds. This separation can reinforce stereotypes and heighten the risk of prejudice and conflict between groups. In response, many peacebuilding initiatives have focused on fostering interaction and understanding across ethnic lines. This randomized evaluation examines one such peacebuilding intervention: the Host Family Program (HFP), implemented by the University of Gondar, pairs university students with host families residing near the university. In partnership with the University of Gondar and Ethiopia’s Ministries of Peace and Education, researchers will assess how intergroup interaction affects host families—specifically, whether hosting a student from a different ethnic background reduces prejudicial attitudes towards that student’s broader ethnic group.

Preventing and Countering Extremism by Building Civilian-State Cooperation among Women
Researchers: Anna Wilke, Avi Ahuja, Jimmy Graham
Country: Kenya
Partner: Search for Common Ground
Type of Project: Pilot
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

Women civil society leaders in Kenya are uniquely positioned through their social networks to detect and prevent radicalization and extremist recruitment. Nonetheless, women face several barriers to cooperating with the state on preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE), including mistrust of security actors, lack of knowledge about how to engage with the state, and perceptions that the security sector is not inclusive of women. This pilot study—consisting of a small-scale randomized evaluation and qualitative interviews—seeks to address the persistent challenge of limited cooperation between civilians and state security institutions in PCVE. Conducted in four counties of coastal Kenya, the intervention implemented by Search for Common Ground and local partners will include structured learning and exchange sessions between women civil society leaders and women security actors, designed to break down barriers and promote cooperation in PCVE. Results will inform a future full-scale evaluation.

Projects Funded During Round VII (Winter 2021)

Countering Prejudice and Discrimination toward Victims of Criminal Violence in Mexico
Researchers: Natán Skigin
Location: Mexico
Partner: Documental Ambulante A.C., United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: Yes   

Researchers conducted a randomized pilot evaluation in Mexico to test different strategies to reduce stigma against victims of criminal group-related violence to measure their effect on prejudice and support for punitive responses towards perpetrators. Some approaches—including the screening of a documentary about forced disappearances and video testimonies from victims’ families—reduced stigma and increased empathy, solidarity with victims, and support for accountability, while also boosting punitive attitudes toward perpetrators.

Evaluating the Impact of a CBT-Based Intervention with At-Risk Youth in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Researchers: Juliana Camargo, Eduardo Mello, Bruno Pantaleão 
Location: Brazil
Partner: Instituto Cidade Segura
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: No

Violence and homicides are in part associated with individuals’ failure to recognize and rethink aggressive behaviors and biased beliefs. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in improving self-control, both in the short and long term, and thus reducing crime at a low cost (Blattman et al. 2017). Researchers in Brazil are conducting a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of the Sagaz Methodology, an approach that incorporates CBT to promote better psychological responses among vulnerable and traumatized adolescents in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The program will target adolescents who are most at risk of becoming victims and/or perpetrators of violence. A key objective of the evaluation is to develop a replicable program that can be implemented at scale in Brazil and eventually translated into similar contexts in Latin America.

Climate Security and Criminal Governance: Countering Narco-Aid in Climate-Distressed Populations in Mexico
Researchers: Rafael Ch, Jane Esberg, and Ulrich Eberle 
Location: Mexico
Partner: Centro de Investigación y Acción Social (CIAS)
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: Yes 

Criminal groups increasingly provide humanitarian aid (narco-aid) following natural disasters, aimed at fostering trust among the affected populations and strengthening their territorial control (Blattman et. al, 2021). Insufficient state resources to cope with climate change can thus inadvertently strengthen the criminal influence and territorial control. Researchers will first field a pilot survey to assess the relationship between climate shocks, criminal governance, trust in the state, and welfare. After this stage, the researchers will assess the impact of workfare programs following natural disasters in high-crime Mexican localities vulnerable to climate shocks. The workfare program will provide residents 50-100 days of public employment focused on the reconstruction of neighborhoods affected by floods and landslides. Researchers will assess the likelihood of both criminal groups occupying a disaster-affected region and civilians accepting financial or humanitarian aid from criminal groups. Findings will provide insights into the link between climate change and criminal rule, which may support the design of future policies to counteract the presence of criminal groups in vulnerable areas.

Asking About Violence: Empirical evidence on the ethics of measurement in violent contexts
Researchers: Lauren Young, Graeme Blair, Rebecca Littman, Hannah Baron, Elayne Stecher, Vivian Khedari, Andres Moya, and Sandra Ley
Location: Nigeria and Mexico
Partner: Mobukar Consultancy, Beyond Conflict, Data OPM
Type of project: Infrastructure and Public Goods
Research implemented by IPA: No

Over the past decade, research that involves engaging with people affected by violence has increased dramatically, yet there is little evidence on the effects of asking about violence on respondents and interviewers. To fill this evidence gap, researchers will conduct a systematic evidence review and a randomized evaluation to study a set of common procedures used in academic and policy research to measure exposure to violence in interviews. The project will assess two outcomes: the potential for benefits and harm to research participants and the extent to which respondents regret participating in the research. The researchers have chosen study sites in Nigeria and Mexico that vary by region, type of commonly occurring violence, and socioeconomic characteristics. Researchers will produce a set of best practices for conducting social science research on violence in a way that maximizes benefits, minimizes harm, and promotes individual autonomy.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Data Access and Integration of Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia
Researchers: Mateo Vásquez-Cortés, Nejla Asimovic, Kevin Munger
Location: Colombia
Partner: Somos Panas Colombia, Wedialog.net Platform
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: Yes 

Nearly two million Venezuelans fled to Colombia (USAID 2021), where they continue to face various legal, economic, and social barriers. Internet access barriers may reduce not only the amount of information that migrants can obtain about economic and assistance opportunities, which are available online but also their ability to expand or sustain their social ties or verify the truthfulness of the information received through social media. In this project, researchers study how internet access barriers affect integration and migrant well-being in contexts of limited state capacity and economic constraints. In particular, researchers will assess the effects of enhanced data access (by providing mobile data credit) on migrants’ knowledge and interest in existing government assistance programs, the expansion and maintenance of their social networks, and their levels of psychological well-being. Researchers will further evaluate whether complementing this enhanced data provision with access to online spaces that facilitate an exchange of accurate information (in collaboration with the National Planning Department of the Government of Colombia) leads to better socio-economic outcomes for the forcibly displaced and migrant community.

Reducing Violence versus Building Trust: Exploring the Joint Effect of Top-down and Bottom-up Peacebuilding Interventions in Nigeria
Researchers: Catlan Reardon and Rebecca Wolfe
Location: Nigeria 
Partner: Mercy Corps
Type of project: Full RCT
Research implemented by IPA: Yes
Related article: Training local leaders in mediation can reduce violence: positive results in Nigeria (The Conversation)

Persistent, low-level communal violence continues across many multi-ethnic societies. Co-funded by IPA’s Peace and Recovery Initiative, researchers worked with Mercy Corps, USAID, and PARE to assess the individual program impacts of a bundled program addressing communal violence in North Central Nigeria. The study evaluated mediation training for leaders and a community dialogue program between farming and herding communities. The mediation training alone was most effective in reducing violence and fostering social cohesion.

Projects Funded through P&R’s COVID-19 Off-Cycle Funding

Accelerating Changes in Norms about Social Distancing to Combat COVID-19 in Mozambique
Researchers: Dean Yang, Tanya Rosenblat, James Allen IV, Hang Yu
Country: Mozambique
Partner: Beira Operational Research Center at the Ministry of Health, Mozambique
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No

Social distancing was one of the most important health behaviors limiting the spread of COVID‐19, but people may have practiced it insufficiently for multiple reasons: they may not have believed or realized that community norms had shifted towards support for social distancing, and they may not have realized its public health benefits. This project supported Mozambique’s effort to promote social distancing, in collaboration with the government’s health research center for the central region. In a representative sample of 3,000 households across three provinces, many of whom were displaced by Cyclone Idai, researchers evaluated two different messaging approaches to promoting social distancing. One emphasized that others in the community—either prominent individuals or a high share of other households—supported social distancing. The other emphasized social distancing’s public health benefits. Data from high-frequency phone-based surveys informed the government about how COVID-19-related knowledge, beliefs, and preventative behaviors changed over time.

Cash and Compliance with Social Distancing: Experimental Evidence from Ghana
Researchers: Robert Darko Osei, Dean Karlan, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Ben Roth, Christopher Udry
Country: Ghana
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

As coronavirus began to spread in developing countries, an important question was whether poor households would adhere to social distancing given the likely inability to work remotely, and the subsequent large income losses. In such a context, mobile money transfers may not only help households maintain consumption levels, they may also complement social distancing policies - those that get the cash may work less, and stay at home more. Researchers launched a three-arm mobile money transfer study in Ghana to test this idea. Specifically, using a subset of poor households from the Ghana Panel Survey (a representative panel dataset collected over the last decade) they randomized households to receive a large weekly transfer, a small weekly transfer, or no weekly transfer. They examined the effects on a battery of economic and psychological measures of well-being as well as adherence to social distancing and self-isolation.

Read the working paper here.

Communication to Promote Healthy Behaviors in Urban Slums in Kenya During COVID-19
Researchers: Timothy Abuya, Karen Austrian, Adan Isaac, Beth Kangwana, Faith Mbushi, Eva Muluve, Daniel Mwanga, Thoai D. Ngo, Mercy Nzioki, Rhoune Ochako, Jessie Pinchoff, Ben Tidwell, Corinne White
Country: Kenya
Partner: Ministry of Health, Kenya
Type of Project: Infrastructure and Public Goods
Research Implemented by IPA: No

Sub-Saharan Africa contains many densely overcrowded and poor urban slums at high risk of COVID-19 outbreaks. In these contexts, sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible, and COVID-19’s rapid spread is a devastating prospect. To control the pandemic’s spread, the Kenyan Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Taskforce implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. To inform the Taskforce strategy, this study deployed rapid phone-based surveys every two weeks on knowledge, attitudes, and practices to approximately 7,500 heads of households sampled from existing randomized evaluation cohorts across five urban slums in Nairobi. Baseline findings on awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, perceived risk, awareness of and ability to carry out preventive behaviors, misconceptions, and fears informed Taskforce interventions. In subsequent rounds, behavior change messages were randomly assigned to measure effectiveness, or if randomization was not feasible, survey questions on exposure and response to government campaigns were evaluated using causal inference approaches.

Effective Communication and Dissemination of Critical COVID-19 Information with Syrian Refugees in Turkey 
Researchers: Ceren Baysan, Emily Eisner, Kristin Fabbe, Lisa Spantig
Country: Turkey
Partner: Syrian Economic Forum
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No

The study tracked how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Syrian-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey during 2020. Researchers used phone surveys to understand the business environment for refugee-owned firms during Covid-19 and to assess the data quality collected via phone surveys. They found that 83 percent of SMEs that were operating in February (before the pandemic hit) were still operating in July, and this slightly increased to 88 percent by October 2020. Between July and October, the research team found that the percentage of business owners who reported lower sales decreased from approximately 70 to 50 percent. This data suggests that the pandemic did not significantly impact the number of businesses operating. Overall, all factors related to sales improved by more than 20 percentage points; including, access to capital (25 percentage point increase), consumer demand (27 percentage point increase ), worker absenteeism (36 percentage point decrease), and difficulty in devoting time to business (43 percentage point decrease). The only factor that deteriorated between July and October was the share of business owners reporting a reduced availability of resources to run their businesses (a decrease from 75 to 92 percent). While most indicators of business performance improved, researchers found that business owners became more pessimistic about future sales. The sample was drawn from the Syrian Economic Forum's database.

Low-Cost, Automated WhatsApp Surveys to Understand Venezuelan Migration in Colombia
Researchers: Jeremy Weinstein, Duncan Lawrence, Jens Hainmueller
Country: Colombia
Partner: Immigration Policy Lab (IPL), Mercy Corps
Type of Project: Pilot, Descriptive 
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

In partnership with Mercy Corps, the Immigration Policy Lab designed and implemented a novel low-cost, automated WhatsApp survey among Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. The survey generated valuable descriptive data on indicators of household resilience and return migration in the context of a global pandemic. This WhatsApp survey method was internally adopted by IPA as a potential tool for country offices’ use in remote survey implementation. The research team also developed a publicly accessible technical manual and reproducible code so that other teams could leverage this novel method for implementing remote surveys in the future. This helped other researchers implement low-cost remote surveys, which are particularly useful among populations difficult to reach.

State Engagement with Religious Leaders for Effective COVID-19 Crisis Response
Researchers: Kate Vyborny
Country: Pakistan
Partners: Center for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP)
Type of Project: Randomized Evaluation
Timeline: April-July 2020
Implemented by IPA: No

The goal of this study was to test whether outreach to religious leaders in Pakistan could enhance state effectiveness in dealing with the COVID-19 public health crisis. State interactions with religious leaders presented both a challenge and an opportunity: there was a lack of clarity on the official stance on whether and how congregational prayer was restricted as part of ongoing lockdowns. Many mosques in Pakistan continued to hold congregational prayer, and there were some clashes between the state and mosques over this issue. Effective outreach to the clergy at the community level could help to address this challenge. The research team conducted information treatment calls with a randomized sub-sample of imams to test secular and religious approaches to persuading community imams to carry out social distancing within their mosques.

Understanding Economic Outcomes and Resilience to COVID-19: Evidence from the Kenya Life Panel Survey
Researchers: Edward Miguel, Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Walker
Country: Kenya
Partner: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Type of Project: Infrastructure and Public Goods
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

COVID-19 is causing major health and economic challenges for low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Kenya Life Panel Survey (KLPS) is uniquely situated to address numerous key questions about the effects of the pandemic. The KLPS is a 20-year longitudinal survey on health, educational, nutritional, demographic, social, and labor market outcomes among a sample of thousands of Kenyans who were participants in one or more randomized health, skills training, and financial capital interventions during childhood and adolescence, and collects intergenerational data on their children. Researchers added a phone survey round to KLPS to track COVID-19 exposure, knowledge, and coping mechanisms (including migration); measure downstream long-term effects of adolescent interventions on responses; and determine how crisis experiences affect subsequent outcomes for adults and children. Researchers estimated effects using the original experiments, and spatial and temporal variation in survey timing and COVID-19 intensity and policies across Kenya.

Vulnerability and Trust in the Aftermath of COVID-19 in Uganda
Researchers: Macartan Humphreys, Constantin Manuel Bosancianu, Ana Garcia-Hernandez
Country: Uganda
Partner: Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

COVID-19 has already disrupted community life and will surely alter community social dynamics for years to come. This project aimed to identify and track over time citizens’ compliance with COVID-19 mitigation policies and their access to relief services in Kampala, Uganda. Building on an existing study in which certain residents were randomly assigned to attend meetings with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)—which is responsible for the city’s health centers, public schools, and other public services—researchers surveyed the study’s representative sample of urban residents to understand patterns of rule compliance, uncover how the crisis alters patterns of intra-group and inter-group trust (using baseline information collected prior to the pandemic), and identify and track over time populations that are vulnerable to disruptions caused by the pandemic. This randomized evaluation also helped researchers understand how this compliance was shaped by contact with a key governmental institution. Embedding this COVID-19 survey into a data collection process that extended to 2021 allowed researchers to gain a long-term perspective on community resilience.

Projects Funded During Round VI (Spring 2021)

Dimensions of Conflict in Pastoral East Africa – Livestock Insurance and Its Conflict-Mitigating Potential
Researchers: Kelvin Shikuku, Karlijin Morsink, Glenn Harrison, Chris Barrett, Fred Zaal, Peter Gufu Oba, Nathaniel Jensen, Mark Schneider, John N. Muthama
Location: Kenya & Ethiopia
Partner: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) & the World Bank
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: No

Insufficient resources to cope with the negative effects of weather shocks can lead people to migration, theft, and land seizures, which in turn can trigger social unrest and conflict. To combat this, policymakers often promote insurance against weather shocks, but there is little evidence of the extent to which they can help to avoid conflicts and cope with climate shocks. To try to fill this gap, researchers received pilot funding to design a randomized evaluation of the Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI), that is offered to pastoralists in Ethiopia and Kenya. The evaluation will study whether this insurance can help mitigate the negative effects of weather shocks, both stand-alone and when insurance is jointly implemented with a conflict-mitigating intervention.

Training Local Leaders to Prevent and Reduce Intimate Partner Femicide in their Communities: Evidence from Peru
Researchers: Erica Field, Ursula Aldana, Javier Romero, Livia Schubiger
Location: Peru
Partner: Peruvian Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Population (MIMP)/National Program for Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women (AURORA)
Type of project: Full RCT
Research implemented by IPA: Yes

A third of femicides worldwide are committed by an intimate partner (UNODC, 2019). Despite the prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and its long-term welfare consequences (including death), there is scarce rigorous evidence on interventions that aim to reduce it. In Peru, researchers will conduct a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of two different delivery models of a state-run program. The intervention called Leaders in Action (LIA) is a community-level program aimed at reducing violence against women in rural areas via norm change through both a household-based approach and a group-based approach. 

Can Mental Health Interventions Influence the Behavior of Police Officers in Mexico City?
Researchers: Rodrigo Canales, Juan Francisco Santini, Emma Seppälä
Location: Mexico
Partner: Mexico City Ministry of Citizen Security (SSC)
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: Yes

Policing is an occupation with distinctive characteristics that can prompt mental health disorders. Research shows that police officers are exposed to a variety of traumatic and stressful events over the course of their careers that have large negative impacts on mental and physical health, job performance, and interactions with citizens. The disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the challenges faced by law enforcement workers, as their activities expanded to help with COVID-19 mitigation. It is essential for police organizations, therefore, to identify interventions that can support the mental health of their workers. Collaborating with the Mexico City Ministry of Citizen Security, researchers implemented a randomized evaluation to measure whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could improve officers’ mental health, and job performance, and reduce violent behavior in the streets. 

Improving Access to Justice for Internally Displaced Women in Somalia
Researchers: Prabin B. Khadka, Nicholas Haas
Location: Somalia
Partner: Wamo Relief and Rehabilitation Services and University of Jubba, Kismayo Somalia
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: No

Funded by IPA’s Peace and Recovery program, researchers conducted a pilot randomized evaluation in Somalia to investigate the effects of a community police program aimed at preventing gender-based violence and increasing access to justice for women who are internally displaced.

Do Body-worn Cameras Change Police Behavior in Brazil?
Researchers: Joana Monteiro, Leandro Piquet, Pedro Souza
Location: Brazil
Partner: Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: No

Researchers evaluated the impact of body-worn cameras on policing behavior. After 14 months, racial disparities in police lethality disappeared, leading to an estimated 144 to 183 lives saved annually. This reduction in deadly force translates to over USD 100 million in annual economic benefits, demonstrating its potential as a cost-effective and scalable tool to improve police accountability and protect vulnerable populations.

To learn more, listen to an interview with Joana Monteiro here and read the policy brief here.

The Economic Effects of Shia Sunni Contact in Pakistan
Researchers: Zain Chaudhry, Karrar Hussain, Rashid Mahmood Langrial, Obeid Ur Rehman, Kashif Saheer Malik 
Location: Pakistan
Partner: None
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: No

Researchers conducted a randomized pilot study of an intergroup contact intervention between Sunni and Shia sect members in Pakistan to assess whether it improved communal harmony and reduced economic frictions. Prejudice towards the minority sect was reduced when participants both heard an imam promote inter-sectarian harmony and prayed with a worshipper from the minority sect.

The Impact of Hate Literature on Radicalization in Pakistan
Researchers: Sultan Mehmood, Saher Asad
Location: Pakistan
Partner: Minhaj-ul-Quran Pakistan and CRED (Center for Research and Economic Development)
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: No

Radicalization as a precursor to political violence may be a threat to both democracy and development. Does limiting access to hate literature help combat radicalization, or is it the case that counter-narrative messaging and subsidizing competitors’ content is more effective? In Pakistan, researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of hate speech literature magazines on the formation of radical political beliefs and extremist ideology in adolescents. Researchers will work with magazine distributors to display different types of magazines on their main visible shelves. Additionally, they will educate people on responsible media use and the impacts of hate speech.

Projects Funded During Round V (Fall 2019)

Can Democratic Engagement Reduce the Appeal of Violent Extremism Among Internally Displaced Persons? Evidence from Somalia
Researchers: Michael Gilligan, Prabin Khadka, Peter Vining
Country: Somalia
Partner: WAMO Relief and Rehabilitation Services, Kismayo Somalia, University of Jubba, Kismayo Somalia
Type of project: Pilot
Research implemented by IPA: No

Can promoting peaceful democratic engagement reduce the appeal of anti-Western violent extremism? Researchers designed and tested an intervention that trained internally displaced persons in Somalia to use digital tools for civic engagement and encouraged them to use these tools to engage with various civil society organizations working on foreign policy issues relevant to their lives. The study measured participants’ attitudes, before and after the trainings, towards democracy and violent extremism to assess the impact of this civic engagement approach.

Intergroup Contact, Empathy Education, and Refugee-Native Integration: Evidence from Lebanon
Researchers: Salma Mousa, Lennard Naumann, Alexandra Scacco
Location: Lebanon
Partner: The African Middle Eastern Leadership Project (AMEL)
Type of Project: Full study
Research Implemented by IPA: No

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation in Lebanon to measure whether intergroup contact, empathy education, or a combination of both, can improve social cohesion and reduce ethnic-based prejudice among Syrian refugee and Lebanese youth participating in a psychosocial support program. Intergroup contact had little effect on prejudice and willingness to engage in future intergroup activities, particularly among Lebanese participants. Empathy education alone, on the other hand, moderately decreased prejudice and improved support for inclusive refugee policies. Combining contact and empathy training is less effective than either intervention alone.

Can Aid Change Attitudes toward Refugees? Experimental Evidence from Urban Microentrepreneurs in Uganda
Researchers: Travis Baseler, Thomas Ginn, Helidah Ogude, Olivia Woldemikael
Location: Uganda
Partners: YARID, International Research Consortium
Type of Project: Full study
Research Implemented by IPA: No

How should aid for refugees be allocated to assist refugees and gain the support of host communities? While host populations often believe they are negatively affected by refugees, little evidence exists on the potential for aid to facilitate positive relations and mitigate tension. Researchers conducted a randomized trial to evaluate three programs for host microentrepreneurs: canvassing, canvassing accompanied by a cash grant, and mentorship by an experienced refugee. The goal was to directly link the programs, which were implemented by a refugee-led non-profit, with the presence of refugees and Uganda’s existing aid-sharing policy. Researchers assessed the effects on political outcomes, such as support for hosting more refugees and allowing them to work, and economic outcomes, like participants’ business profits. The study sought to understand whether sharing development aid that is associated with refugees could induce support for inclusive policies.

Read the working paper here.

The Impact of a Multi-Faceted Social Protection Program on Violence, Criminality and Migration
Researchers: Andrew Dillon, Adrien Bouguen
Location: Burkina Faso
Partners: Terre des Hommes Lausanne, Action Contre La Faim
Type of Project: Full study (module addition)
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

In collaboration with IPA Burkina Faso, Action Contre la Faim, and Terre des Hommes, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to measure a nutrition-focused livelihoods program’s impacts on household income, assets, and child nutrition. Two years after the end of the intervention, the program reduced extreme poverty by 28 percent, reduced short-term and chronic child malnutrition by 33 percent, and increased cognitive and motor skills of children born during the program.

Reducing Prejudice Towards Refugees? A Pilot Study of Perspective Taking in Uganda
Researchers: Janet Lewis, Jennifer Larson
Location: Uganda
Partner: George Washington University
Type of Project: Pilot
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

In 2021, Uganda hosted the largest number of refugees in Africa. Despite Uganda’s generous national policies on refugees, relations between refugees and Ugandan citizens are often strained. What are the primary obstacles to harmonious, productive relations between Ugandan citizens and South Sudanese refugees in northwestern Uganda? Can a brief, face-to-face conversation encouraging respondents to take the perspective of South Sudanese refugees reduce prejudice towards them? This pilot informed a randomized evaluation to examine the effectiveness of a “perspective-taking” exchange in northwestern Uganda aimed at reducing anti-refugee prejudice. The randomized evaluation will be embedded in a social network analysis, and thus promises to advance knowledge about whether and how a face-to-face conversation can reduce an individual’s prejudice towards refugees in a resource-poor context; how information relayed during the intervention about refugees spreads through social networks; and whether and how beliefs about and behaviors towards outgroups spread socially, via treatment spillovers in villagers’ networks.

Projects Funded During Round IV (Spring 2019)

Improving Labor Market Opportunities for Refugees in Uganda
Researchers: Francesco Loiacono, Mariajose Silva Vargas
Location: Uganda
Partners: The International Growth, Research and Evaluation Centre, Young African Refugees for Integral Development, Kampala Capital City Authority
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No

Many governments and international institutions are working to create economic opportunities for refugees in prolonged crises. Yet refugees, especially in developing countries, may find it particularly hard to access local job markets. By exploring the Ugandan labor market for refugee and local young job seekers, this project designed and evaluated a program with the aim of reducing the prevalence of labor market discrimination against refugees. In collaboration with a local NGO, this study provided employment subsidies to hire a refugee or a local job seeker. By studying the effect of exposure and how firms learned about the true productivity of workers, researchers assessed whether the program reduced the extent of discrimination and whether labor market outcomes improved.

The Impact of Entrepreneurship Training Using Imagery Techniques in Colombia
Researchers: Nava Ashraf, Leonardo Iacovone, Gharad Bryan, Alexia Delfino, Ashley Pople
Location: Colombia
Partners: Bogota Mayor’s Office
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

Exposure to violence, conflict, and other traumatic life events can have harmful effects on the economic, human, and social capital of individuals and their communities. Entrepreneurship and business skills training curricula have been commonly adopted as an approach for promoting socio-economic inclusion in fragile settings. However, most of these programs pay little attention to motivation and internal barriers to learning and decision-making, which may be particularly relevant for victims of conflict. For such populations, imagery techniques—which encourage participants to envision future scenarios or adopt the perspectives of others—could be an effective pedagogical tool for boosting motivation. To evaluate the effectiveness of these techniques, researchers designed and evaluated a soft skills training program that incorporated imagery for entrepreneurs who experienced violence or other traumatic or challenging life circumstances in Bogotá, Colombia.

The Impact of Youth Education on Intergroup Violence in Burkina Faso: A Pilot Study
Researchers: Allison Grossman, William Nomikos, Niloufer Siddiqui
Location: Burkina Faso
Partners: ProgettoMondo MLAL
Type of Project: Pilot
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

Burkina Faso has a strong history of peaceful coexistence among ethnic and religious groups, but in recent years has seen a rise in organized violence by Islamic extremists and fracturing of old forms of social solidarity. This pilot study assessed the effectiveness of an EU-funded project to strengthen social trust and rebuild communal norms of tolerance. Through a curricular intervention administered in schools and youth clubs, this study assessed the effectiveness of individual-level (building self-esteem and self-confidence) and community-level (encouraging social cohesion through emphasizing shared identities) factors on inter-communal trust and the willingness of individuals to rely on non-violent solutions to local disputes. The research aimed to inform future work seeking to disentangle the effect of various factors on these outcomes, while also collecting important baseline data in a data-scarce, but increasingly vital, context.

Read the published paper here.

The Impact of a Military Policing Program in Colombia
Researchers: Robert Blair, Michael Weintraub
Location: Colombia
Partners: Security and Justice Secretariat, City of Cali
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

In Latin America, governments commonly use their armed forces to combat high homicide rates, especially in urban areas. Advocates view these strategies as necessary to bring violent crime under control and allow social programs to take root, while opponents counter that militarized policing undermines human rights and exacerbates insecurity. However, little rigorous evidence exists on either side of this debate. This study evaluated the impact of a militarized policing program that deployed intensive, recurring army patrols to neighborhoods with the highest homicide rates in the city of Cali, Colombia, one of Latin America’s most violent cities. Researchers compared the program to a comparison group that received no militarized policing as well as a spillover group adjacent to blocks where militarized policing operated. The study tested the impact of the program on homicides and other violent crimes, as well as on citizens' perceptions of security and trust in government.

The Psychosocial Value of Employment in Refugee Camps
Researchers: Reshmaan Hussam, Fatima Tuz Zahra, Erin Kelley, Gregory Lane
Location: Bangladesh
Partners: Pulse
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

Between August and December 2017, approximately 700,000 Rohingya men, women, and children fled genocide in Myanmar. Intent on limiting integration and maximizing repatriation to Myanmar, the Bangladesh government made formal work illegal for the refugees and placed strict restrictions on movement limiting their access to informal work in nearby urban centers. Data from a pilot study demonstrated that working-age refugees within the camps spend a substantial amount of time sitting idle, leading to profound mental health challenges, especially for people who experienced the trauma of losing family members in the genocide. Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to compare the impacts of cash for work and unconditional cash transfers for people living in these refugee camps on psychosocial well-being. The study also investigated how past trauma and future uncertainty might impact the effectiveness of various employment programs.

Refugee Business Development and Regional Markets in a Humanitarian Setting in Turkey
Researchers: Ceren Baysan, Onur Altindag
Location: Turkey
Partners: Syrian Economic Forum and Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce
Type of Project: Pilot
Research Implemented by IPA: No

Funded by IPA’s Peace and Recovery Program and in partnership with Building Markets and Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce, researchers used census survey data to explore the entrepreneurial dynamics, sectoral distribution, and export behaviors of Turkish- and Syrian refugee-owned firms in Gaziantep, Turkey. Findings revealed a predominance of micro-sized businesses and significant export involvement among Syrian refugee-owned firms.

Projects Funded During Round III (Fall 2018)

Can Increased Contact and Dialogue Reduce Conflict between Farmers and Herders in Nigeria?
Researchers: Oeindrila Dube, Soeren Henn, James Robinson
Location: Nigeria 
Partners: Search for Common Ground, Daniel Meshak Consulting
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes

Does contact between groups help resolve conflict? In this study, researchers investigated whether contact between groups could help resolve the endemic farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria. In collaboration with Search for Common Ground, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation that studied the impact of inter-dialogues between farmers and herders in 96 communities, testing whether contact could reduce conflict even when the underlying conflict was economic in nature. The study additionally investigated the drivers of any effects.

The Effect of Information on Irregular Migration Decisions in Nigeria
Researchers: Alexandra Scacco, Macartan Humphreys, Dean Yang, Bernd Beber
Location: Nigeria
Partners: UK Cabinet Office
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: Yes 

Irregular migration and human trafficking have reached crisis proportions in many fragile states. Yet we lack answers to basic questions about how individuals weigh the risks and benefits of migration, and whether exposure to conflict distorts this process. These answers matter for migrated-related programs and policies: Do information campaigns highlighting risks change people’s decisions to migrate? Does information about economic opportunities at home affect these decisions? Where and how is information most effectively transmitted?  Following piloting in Edo state, researchers explored these questions in partnership with IPA Nigeria and the UK Cabinet Office. The randomized evaluation assessed the impact of providing information about the risks and outcomes of migration through door-to-door campaigns and via family members abroad on actual migration decisions. 

Read the published paper here.

Social and Economic Integration of Syrian Refugees in Host Communities in Jordan
Researchers: Eliana La Ferrara, Pedro Rosa Dias, Marcus Holmlund 
Location: Jordan 
Partners: Jordan Ministry of Municipal Affairs 
Type of Project: Pilot
Research Implemented by IPA: No

Funded by IPA’s Peace and Recovery Program and in partnership with the World Bank and the Jordan Ministry of Local Administration, researchers conducted preparatory activities to inform an eventual impact evaluation of a public works program intended to foster refugee social and economic integration by facilitating cooperation.

Dynamics of Refugee Return to Syria from Lebanon
Researchers: Ala' Alrababa'h, Marine Casalis, Dominik Hangartner, Daniel Masterson, Jeremy Weinstein
Location: Lebanon
Partners: CARE, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut
Type of Project: Public Good
Research Implemented by IPA: No 

How do refugee crises end? Despite the policy relevance of the question, very little research addresses the topic. This project examined the determinants of the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon, a country that hosted over a million Syrians since the beginning of the conflict. Using a panel survey, researchers assessed how Syrians' intentions to return home related to their subsequent choices, and evaluated the relevance of push factors in Lebanon and pull factors in Syria in household decision-making. Results aim to inform the design of humanitarian programming to facilitate refugees' safe voluntary choices about returning.
 

Projects Funded During Round II (Spring 2018)

Improving Community Acceptance of Returnees from Boko Haram in Nigeria: What Role Do Trusted Authorities Play?