AKHTER U. AHMED WORK EXPERIENCE

Transcription

1 AKHTER U. AHMED Senior Research Fellow Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI New Delhi Office NASC Complex, CG Block, Dev Prakash Shastri Road Pusa, New Delhi , India WORK EXPERIENCE Senior Research Fellow September 2008 present Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India Co-leading IFPRI s Global and Regional Program on Large-Scale Interventions to Enhance Human Capital. Evaluating the impact of improved dairy value chain on smallholder dairy farmers in Bangladesh (Team Leader) Examining the scope for strengthening social protection for mitigating the effects of food and financial crises in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam (Team Leader). Studying the role of formal and informal institutions in tackling idiosyncratic shocks experienced by the poor in Bangladesh (Team Leader). Participated in designing an impact evaluation for the World Bank sponsored reform package of the Integrated Child Development Services scheme in India (Team Leader). Evaluated the impact of transferring assets to destitute women under the Targeted Ultra Poor Program of BRAC in Bangladesh (Team Leader). Senior Research Fellow April 2001 August 2008 Research Fellow Nov 1999 March 2001 Food Consumption and Nutrition Division IFPRI, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Participated in designing a monitoring and evaluation strategy for the Productive Rural Development project of the Social Fund for Development in Yemen. Participated in designing an impact evaluation strategy for the Red Solidaria conditional cash transfer (CCT) program in El Salvador. Assessed global progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty and hunger ((MDG1) (Team Leader). Led an evaluation of the human development impacts of the national CCT program in Turkey (Team Leader). Conducted a study on the relative efficacy of cash and food transfers in improving food security and livelihoods of the ultra-poor in Bangladesh (Team Leader). Evaluated the educational impact and implementation process of the Reaching Out-of-School Children project in Bangladesh (Team Leader).

2 Investigated operation and effectiveness of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program in the context of the social safety net system in India (Team Leader). Assessed relative merits of food versus cash transfers for education incentive programs in improving education and nutrition in Bangladesh (Team Leader). Evaluated impacts of the school feeding program on educational attainment and nutrition in Bangladesh (Team Leader). Formulated policy options for strengthening the social protection system in the Philippines (Team Leader). Explored strategies for restructuring social safety nets in Africa. Conducted a study on the potentials and constraints for food for education programs using locally grown foods in Sub-Saharan Africa, for the Millennium Project Task Force on Hunger (Team Leader). Assessed the performance of conditional cash transfer programs for primary and secondary school students in Bangladesh (Team Leader). Conducted a comprehensive study on food aid leakage in Bangladesh (Team Leader). Worked on an IFPRI-CARE joint project on urban livelihood security in Bangladesh. Provided technical assistance to the Government of Malawi in measuring and monitoring poverty. Contributed to the development of a poverty profile for Malawi. Developed proxy indicators for targeting Malawi s social safety net programs (Project Manager). Developed a monitoring and evaluation system for the community-based food banks program in India. Evaluated the impact of the Food for Education program in Bangladesh on educational attainment and food security of the poor (Team Leader). Chief of Party (Research Fellow) Aug 1996 Oct 1999 IFPRI, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Field Post: USAID-funded Egypt Food Security Research Project, Cairo, Egypt Provided leadership for the Food Security Research Project in Egypt. Studied policy options for the restructuring of food subsidies; and employment generation and poverty reduction. Developed a politically and administratively feasible proxy means testing method for targeting food subsidies to the poor Egyptians. Designed and managed large-scale, nationally representative household, community, market, and farm surveys. Coordinated and supervised the work of IFPRI researchers and Egyptian collaborators of the project. Managed the project office in Cairo. Research Fellow Jun 1994 Jul 1996 Food Consumption and Nutrition Division IFPRI, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Led two IFPRI Country Study Teams to appraise the European Union food aid programs in China and Bangladesh in terms of program effects and future directions. Studied design options for cost-effective social safety net programs for the ultra-poor in the Philippines. Assumed joint leadership of IFPRI's multi-country research program on Rural Financial Policies for Food Security of the Poor. Consumption Economist (Research Fellow) May Jun 1994

3 IFPRI, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Field Post: USAID-funded Bangladesh Food Policy Project, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Evaluated impacts of targeted food-based programs on food security and nutrition. Designed and conducted nation-wide household surveys to assess program impacts. Provided research results and policy advice to the Government of Bangladesh for improving food security and nutritional status of the poor through targeted interventions. Contributed to policy reforms in the public food sector in two key areas: (a) abolition of the wasteful and poorly performed Rural Rationing program; and (b) introduction of the innovative Food-for-Education program. Assumed management responsibilities as Deputy Chief of Party of the project. Agricultural Economist (International Consultant) Feb - Jun 1989 United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Analyzed the growth possibilities and constraints of the Bangladesh agricultural sector, and recommended food and agricultural development strategy to the USAID Mission in Bangladesh for its multi-year ( ) Country Development Strategy Statement. Consultant Dec Feb 1989 The World Bank, Asia Country Department I, Washington, D.C. U.S.A. Estimated costs of foodgrain production, examined production incentives, and analyzed agricultural pricing policies in Bangladesh. Carried out a growth analysis for foodgrain production and identified sources of growth. Agricultural Economist May Jan 1983 United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Formulated policy recommendations for the USAID Mission in Bangladesh regarding food and agricultural assistance strategy. Investigated and authored USAID crop outlook series. Developed analytical models to estimate crop production and price movements of foodgrains. The Mission used these models and crop forecasts for decision-making regarding the PL-480 (U.S. food aid) program in Bangladesh. Conducted field level studies on irrigation performance and authored professional reports. Made frequent field observations to gather first-hand information on agro-economic conditions in respect to developing new programs or project activities. EDUCATION Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.A. M.S. in Agricultural Economics Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A. SKILLS Language: English-excellent; Bangla-excellent; Hindi/urdu-fair; French-some.

4 Technical: State-of-the-art impact evaluation of human development interventions, policy analysis for restructuring social protection and safety net programs to reduce poverty and improve the food security and nutrition of the poor; poverty measurement and monitoring; formulation of improved targeting methods; econometric modeling; design and management of large-scale household, community, and institutional surveys; and project management.

5 HONORS Meritorious Honor Award from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in recognition of outstanding performance. Ford Foundation Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at Cornell University. Omicron Delta Epsilon (International Honor Society in Economics). Gamma Sigma Delta (Agriculture Honor Society, U.S.A.). IFPRI Research Reports PUBLICATIONS/REPORTS Ahmed, A., A. Quisumbing, J. Hoddinott, M. Nasreen, and E. Bryan (forthcoming). Comparing food and cash transfers to the ultra-poor in Bangladesh. Research Report 164. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., H. Bouis, T. Gutner, and H. Löfgren The Egyptian food subsidy system: Structure, performance, and options for reform. Research Report 119. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Zeller, M., M. Sharma, A. Ahmed, and S. Rashid Group-based financial institutions for the rural poor in Bangladesh: An institutional- and household-level analysis. Research Report 120. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Journal Articles Ahmed, A., and R. Hill Surviving on pennies: We must help the world s most deprived. UN Chronicle XLIV (4): Ahmed, A., and M. Arends-Kuenning Do crowded classrooms crowd out learning? Evidence from the food for education program in Bangladesh. World Development 34 (4): Garrett, J., and A. Ahmed Incorporating crime in household surveys: a research note. Environment and Urbanization 16 (2): Haddad, L., and A. Ahmed Chronic and transitory poverty: Evidence from Egypt, World Development 31 (1): Ahmed, A., and H. Bouis Weighing what s practical: Proxy means testing for targeting food subsidies in Egypt. Food Policy 27: Ahmed, A. and Y. Shams Demand elasticities in rural Bangladesh: An application of the AIDS model. The Bangladesh Development Studies 22 (1): 1-25.

6 Ahmed, A., and R. K. Sampath Effects of irrigation-induced technological change in Bangladesh rice production. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 74 (1): Ahmed, A., H. A. Khan, and R. K. Sampath Poverty in Bangladesh: Measurement, decomposition and intertemporal comparison. The Journal of Development Studies 27 (4): Ahmed, A., and R. K. Sampath Welfare implications of tubewell irrigation in Bangladesh. Water Resources Bulletin, American Water Resources Association 24 (5): Chapters in Books Ali, A., I. Jahan, A. Ahmed, and S. Rashid Public food distribution system in Bangladesh: Successful reforms and remaining challenges. In From parastatals to private trade: Lessons from Asian agriculture, ed. S. Rashid, A. Gulati, and R. Cummings Jr.. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Ahmed, A., and C. del Ninno Feeding minds while fighting poverty: Food for education in Bangladesh. In Economic reforms and food security: The impact of trade and technology in South Asia., ed. S. Babu and A. Gulati. New York: The Haworth Press. Ahmed, A., and H. Bouis Proxy indicators of income for targeting food subsidies. In Does agricultural policy reform work? The impact on Egypt s agriculture, , ed. G. Ender and J.S. Holtzman. Washington, D.C.: Abt Associates Inc. Ahmed, A., and C. del Ninno Food for education in Bangladesh. In Household decisions, gender, and development: A synthesis of recent research, ed. A. R. Quisumbing. Washington, D.C.: International Food policy Ahmed, A Trends in consumption, nutrition, and poverty. In Out of the shadow of famine: Evolving food markets and food policy in Bangladesh, ed. R. Ahmed, S. Haggblade, and T. E. Chowdhury. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Ahmed, A Targeted distribution. In Out of the shadow of famine: Evolving food markets and food policy in Bangladesh. ed. R. Ahmed, S. Haggblade, and T. E. Chowdhury. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Ahmed, A., et al Bangladesh's food-for-work program and alternatives to improve food security. In Employment for Poverty Reduction and Food Security, ed. J. von Braun. IFPRI Occasional Paper. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Discussion Papers Ahmed, A., R. Hill, L. Smith, D. Wiesmann, and T. Frankenberger The world s most deprived: Characteristics and causes of extreme poverty and hunger Discussion Paper 43. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., S. Rashid, M. Sharma, and S. Zohir Food aid distribution in Bangladesh: Leakage and operational performance. Discussion Paper 173. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy

7 Adato, M., A. Ahmed, and F. Lund Safety nets, social protection, and poverty reduction: What directions for Africa? Policy Paper, IFPRI 20/20 Vision Network. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and M. Arends-Kuenning Do crowded classrooms crowd out learning? Evidence from the food for education program in Bangladesh. Discussion Paper 149. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and C. del Ninno The food for education program in Bangladesh: An evaluation of its impact on educational attainment and food security. Discussion Paper 138. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and H. Bouis Weighing what s practical: Proxy means testing for targeting food subsidies in Egypt. Discussion Paper 132. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute. Haddad, L., and A. Ahmed Avoiding chronic and transitory poverty: Evidence from Egypt, Discussion Paper 133. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Assaad, R., F. El-Hamidi, and A. Ahmed The determinants of employment status in Egypt. Discussion Paper 88. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Zeller, M., A. Ahmed, et. al Rural financial policies for food security of the poor: Methodologies for a multicountry research project. Discussion Paper 11. Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Subbarao, K., A. Ahmed and T. Teklu Selected social safety net programs in the Philippines: Targeting, cost-effectiveness, and options for reform. World Bank Discussion Paper No Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Briefs Shastry, P., A. Ahmed, R. Pandya-Lorch, and M. Sharma Renewed policy action for the poorest and hungry in South Asia. Policy Brief. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute; Manila: Asian Development Bank. Von Braun, J., A. Ahmed, et al High food prices: The what, who, and how of proposed policy actions. IFPRI Policy Brief. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy IFPRI (prepared by A. Ahmed and B. McClafferty) Food for education: Feeding minds reduces poverty, plus insert, Food for schooling in Bangladesh. IFPRI Issue Brief. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy

8 Project Reports and Working Papers (since joining IFPRI) Ahmed, A., B. Minten, A. Quisumbing, and D. Roy Evaluating the dairy value chain project in Bangladesh: Baseline report. Project report prepared for CARE. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Bhaskar, A., A. Ahmed, and A. Shariff Causes and consequences of recent food price inflation and the role of social protection in mitigating the impact: A literature review. Project report prepared for the Asian Development Bank. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., M. Adato, A. de Brauw, and P. Menon Design of impact evaluation plan for the ICDS-IV Project in India. Project report prepared for the World Bank. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., M. Rabbani, M. Sulaiman, and N. Das The impact of asset transfers on livelihoods of impoverished rural women in Bangladesh. Project report prepared for BRAC in Bangladesh. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., A. Quisumbing, and J. Hoddinott Relative efficacy of food and cash transfers in improving food security and livelihoods of the ultra-poor in Bangladesh. Project report prepared for the U.N. World Food Programme. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and M. Sharma Home grown school feeding programs to support farmers in Africa: Economic modeling and supply response. Project report prepared for the U.N. World Food Programme. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., M. Adato, A. Kudat, D. Gilligan, T. Roopnaraine, and R. Colasan Impact evaluation of the conditional cash transfer program in Turkey: Final report. Project report prepared for the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity, Prime Ministry, Government of Turkey. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute. Ahmed, A Evaluating the Reaching Out-of-School Children Project in Bangladesh: A baseline study. Project report prepared for the World Bank. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., D. Gilligan, A. Kudat, and R. Colasan Interim impact evaluation of the conditional cash transfer program in Turkey: A quantitative Assessment. Project report prepared for the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity, Prime Ministry, Government of Turkey. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A. et al Food aid transition in India s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program in CARE-supported areas. Project report prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Kudat, A., A. Ahmed, et al Evaluating the conditional cash transfer program in Turkey: A qualitative Assessment. Project report prepared for the General Directorate of Social

9 Assistance and Solidarity, Prime Ministry, Government of Turkey. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A Food and nutrition security in Bangladesh: What role for safety nets? Paper prepared for the seminar Food Policy in Bangladesh: Issues and Perspectives held in Dhaka on March 13, Ahmed, A Comparing food and cash incentives for schooling in Bangladesh. A study commissioned by the United Nations University. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A Impacts of feeding children in School: Evidence from Bangladesh. A study commissioned by the United Nations University. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., A. Quisumbing, J. Villafuerte, and R. dela Cruz Strengthening social protection in the Philippines. Policy paper prepared for the World Bank. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A Assessing the performance of conditional cash transfer programs for girls and boys in primary and secondary schools in Bangladesh. Project report prepared for the World Bank. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A Targeting effectiveness of the vulnerable group development program in Bangladesh. Project report prepared for the U.N. World Food Programme. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Haddad, L., S. Wiggins, J. Garrett, and A. Ahmed Accelerating Malnutrition reduction in Bangladesh: The potential role of DFID. A nutrition intervention scoping study for DFID-Bangladesh. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and M. Sharma Food for education programs using locally grown foods in Sub-Saharan Africa: Potentials and constraints. Paper prepared for the Millennium Project Task Force on Hunger. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute. Payongayong, E., T. Benson, and A. Ahmed Simple household poverty assessment models for Malawi: Proxy means tests from the Malawi Integrated Household Survey. Project report prepared for the Government of Malawi. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., S. Rashid, M. Sharma, and S. Zohir A study on food aid leakage in Bangladesh. Project report prepared for the U.N. World Food Programme. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and S. Rashid Food security in Bangladesh in the context of evolving food policy and markets Paper prepared for the IFPRI workshop held in India on Agribusiness: From Parastatals to Private Trade Why, When and How? Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy

10 Ahmed, A., F. Naher, and J. Garrett Crime and violence: Evidence from urban slums in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Project report prepared for the IFPRI-CARE Collaborative Project on Food Security in Urban Bangladesh. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., C. del Ninno, and O.H. Chowdhury Evaluating the food for education program in Bangladesh. A report of the Food Management and Research Support Project in Bangladesh. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., H. Bouis, A. Hegazy, and A. El-Ganainy The application of proxy means testing to determine eligibility for ration card food subsidies in Egypt. A report of the Food Security Research Project in Egypt. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., H. Bouis, and S. Ali Performance of the Egyptian food subsidy system in Egypt: Distribution, use, leakage, targeting, and cost-effectiveness. A report of the Food Security Research Project in Egypt. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Haddad, L., and A. Ahmed Poverty dynamics in Egypt: A report of the Food Security Research Project in Egypt. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Bouis, H., A. Ahmed, and A. Hamza Patterns of food consumption and nutrition in Egypt. A report of the Food Security Research Project in Egypt. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and H. Bouis A review of international experiences on food subsidy programs: Lessons learned for Egypt. A report of the Food Security Research Project in Egypt. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Bouis, H., and A. Ahmed The Egyptian food subsidy system: Impacts on the poor and an evaluation of alternatives for policy options. A report of the Food Security Research Project in Egypt. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A. et. al Bangladesh: Extended study. Joint evaluation of European Union programme food aid. Project report prepared for the European Union. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and D. Puetz Bangladesh: A rapid evaluation. Joint evaluation of European Union Programme food aid. Project report prepared for the European Union. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and J. Huang China: A rapid evaluation. Joint evaluation of European Union programme food aid. Project report prepared for the European Union. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A Input-output coefficients for estimating rice production costs and returns in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Food Policy Project Manuscript 61. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy

11 Ahmed, A., and K. Billah Food for education program in Bangladesh: An early assessment. Bangladesh Food Policy Project Manuscript 62. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A., and Y. Shams Nutritional effects of cash versus commodity-based public works programs. Bangladesh Food Policy Project Manuscript 63. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Working Group on Targeted Food Interventions (drafted by S. Haggblade and A. Ahmed) Options for targeting food interventions in Bangladesh. IFPRI Working Paper. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A Patterns of food consumption and nutrition in rural Bangladesh. Bangladesh Food Policy Project Manuscript No. 45. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A, and Y. Shams Demand parameters in rural Bangladesh. Bangladesh Food Policy Project Manuscript No. 41. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute. Ahmed, A Food consumption and nutritional effects of targeted food interventions in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Food Policy Project Manuscript No. 31. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, R., N. Chowdhury, and A. Ahmed Determination of procurement price of rice in Bangladesh. Working Paper on Bangladesh No. 6. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, A Operational performance of the rural rationing program in Bangladesh. Working Paper on Bangladesh No. 5. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Ahmed, R., A. Ahmed, et al Cost of public food distribution in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Food Policy Project Manuscript No. 5. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy REFERENCES Available upon request.