Guush Berhane

Guush Berhane is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) working in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. His research focuses on policies and innovations to promote agricultural transformation, rural livelihoods, and well-being, with particular emphasis on impact evaluation of social protection interventions in mitigating food insecurity and vulnerability.

• PhD in Economics from Wageningen University, Netherlands
• Master's degree in Development Economics from Wageningen University, Netherlands

Berhane specializes in econometric and quasi-experimental impact evaluation methods to assess agricultural and social protection policies. His research extends to understanding welfare outcomes in conflict and fragility settings and interventions to facilitate post-conflict rehabilitation. His field work spans across multiple countries including Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Sudan, with a strong focus on how global crises impact agricultural systems and rural households.

Berhane's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on social protection programs, particularly Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme, and their impact on food security and livelihoods. His work examines how global crises like the fuel-food-fertilizer crisis affect agricultural practices in Ethiopia. Methodologically, he combines household survey data with rigorous econometric techniques to evaluate program impacts and identify policy-relevant insights across diverse contexts from agricultural transformation to conflict settings.

No specific awards were mentioned in the available information.

Berhane has extensive experience in designing and conducting large-scale household surveys with over a decade of engagement in IFPRI's Ethiopia Strategy Support Program (ESSP) from 2009-2020. His research has involved significant collaboration with policymakers and communities across multiple African countries. His work has been published in high-impact journals including the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, World Development, Economic Development and Cultural Change, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and Land Use Policy.

Berhane is currently contributing to IFPRI's Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit, where his research informs policy decisions related to agricultural transformation, social protection, and resilience building in developing countries facing multiple shocks and stresses.