The STARS program supports the production of rigorous, policy-relevant research. Fellows and their mentors have produced peer-reviewed journal publications, working papers, policy briefs, and blog posts. Related articles about the program and experiences from our Fellows have also been published.
STARS Research
Research Output
- Adoption of sustainable agricultural intensification practices and their welfare impacts: Comparative evidence from Malawi, Uganda and Ethiopia. [Working Paper], Anderson Gondwe, Lemekezani Chilora, Dinah Tuwanje Banda, Aleksandr Michuda, Kristin Davis, May 2024.
- Crop Production Diversity and the Well-being of Smallholder Farm Households: Evidence from Nigeria. [Working Paper | Policy Brief], Ibukun Olaoye, Sarah Edewore, Tarana Chauhan, David Stifel, May 2024.
- Does Pesticide Use Influence Crop Productivity in Uganda? [Policy Brief], Linda Nakato, Umar Kabanda, Pauline Nakitende, Tess Lallemant, Milu Muyanga, May 2024.
- Effect of Pesticide Use on Crop Production and Food Security in Uganda. [Working Paper], Linda Nakato, Umar Kabanda, Pauline Nakitende, Tess Lallemant, Milu Muyanga, May 2024.
- Maize Price Shocks, Food Expenditure and the Mediating Role of Access to Market in Ghana. [Working Paper], Edward Martey, Justina Adwoa Onumah, Frank Adusah-Poku, May 2024.
- Role of Markets in Navigating Consumption Choices Amid Maize Price Shocks. [Policy Brief], Edward Martey, Justina Adwoa Onumah, Frank Adusah-Poku, May 2024.
- Structural Transformation in Rural Ghana: The Trends and Drivers. [Working Paper | Policy Brief], Monica P. Lambon-Quayefio, Kwame Adjei-Mantey, Emmanuel Adu-Danso, August 2023.
- Linking crop productivity, market participation and technology use among smallholder farmers: Evidence from Uganda. [Working Paper], Dablin Mpuuga, Sawuya Nakijoba, Ambrose Ogwang, Duncan Boughton, Rui Benfica, July 2023.
- Market Power in Philippine Agricultural Markets. [Working Paper], Gabriel Domingo, Hadassah R. Cordero, March 2023.
- Can drought insurance reduce Ethiopian pastoralists’ exposure to conflict? [Blog], Tekalign Sakketa, Dan Maggio, John McPeak, Economics That Really Matters Blog, March 2023.
- Do Input Subsidies in Malawi Affect the Outcomes of Younger and Older Farmers Differently? [Policy Brief], Christone Nyondo, Zephaniah Nyirenda, Maggie Munthali, Brian Dillon, Sergio Puerto, March 2023.
- Land market responses to weather shocks: evidence from rural Uganda and Kenya. Rayner Tabetando, Djomo Choumbou Raoul Fani, Catherine Ragasa, Aleksandr Michuda, European Review of Agricultural Economics, March 2023.
- Women’s Participation in Contract Farming. Phyllis Mumia Machio, Eva-Marie Meemken, Journal of Development Studies, March 2023.
- Measuring the Heterogeneous Effects of Input Subsidies on Household Outcomes: Evidence from Malawi. [Working Paper], Christone Nyondo, Zephaniah Nyirenda, Maggie Munthali, Brian Dillon, Sergio Puerto, February 2023.
- The Protective Role of Index Insurance in the Experience of Violent Conflict: Evidence from Ethiopia. [Working Paper], Tekalign Sakketa, Dan Maggio, John McPeak, Households in Conflict Network, 2023.
- How Specific Resilience Pillars Mitigate the Impact of Drought on Food Security: Evidence from Uganda. Nathan Sunday, Rehema Kahunde, Blessing Atwine, Adesoji Adelaja, Justin George, Food Security, September 2022.
- Domestic or Imported? An analysis of rice demand in Senegal. [Policy Brief], Ndèye Fatou Faye, Amy Faye, Mouhamed Rassoul Sy Seungmin Lee, John McPeak, February 2022.
- How Specific Resilience Pillars Mitigate the Impact of Drought on Food Security: Evidence from Uganda. [Policy Brief], Nathan Sunday, Rehema Kahunde, Blessing Atwine, Adesoji Adelaja, Justin Kappiaruparampil, February 2022.
- Domestic or Imported? An analysis of rice demand in Senegal. [Working Paper], Ndèye Fatou Faye, Amy Faye, Mouhamed Rassoul Sy Seungmin Lee, John McPeak, January 2022.
- A Geometric Analysis of Technological Heterogeneity in the Agricultural Sector: Evidence from Maize in Tanzania. [Working Paper], Karim Nchare, Marcel Vitouley, Heidi Kaila, Yanyan Liu, January 2022.
- Climate Shocks and Resilience: Evidence from Rural Ethiopia. [Working Paper], Birhan S. Demissie, Tesfahun A. Kasie, Joanna B. Upton, Sylvia A. Blom, November 2021.
- Unpacking the Links between Conflict and Child Welfare: Evidence from a Foreign Insurgency. [Working Paper], Larissa Nawo, Heidi Kaila, Hyuk Harry Son, Households in Conflict Network, 2021.
- Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Payments and Property Rights on Forest User Decisions. Sarobidy Rakotonarivo, Andrew Bell, Brian Dillon, A. Bradley Duthie, Adams Kipchumba, Ranaivo Andriarilala Rasologoson, Julie Razafimanahaka, Nils Bunnefeld, Frontiers in Conservation Science, July 2021.
- Food price volatility and household food security: Evidence from Nigeria. Khadijat Busola Amolegb, Joanna Upton, Elizabeth Bageant, Sylvia Blom, Food Policy, July 2021.
- Measurement Error Mechanisms Matter: Agricultural Intensification with Farmer Misperceptions and Misreporting. Kibrom A. Abay, Leah E. M. Bevis, Christopher B. Barrett, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, December 2020.
- Aid, collective action and benefits to smallholders: Evaluating the World Food Program’s purchase for progress pilot. Dambala Gelo Kutela, Edwin Muchapondwa, Abebe Shimeles, Johane Dikgang, Food Policy, December 2020.
- Climate-Smart Innovations and Rural Poverty in Ethiopia: Exploring Impacts and Pathways. Wondimagegn Mesfin Tesfaye, Garrick Blalock, Nyasha Tirivayi, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, October 2020.
- Forest commons, vertical integration and smallholder’s saving and investment responses: Evidence from a quasi-experiment. Dambala Gelo Kutela, World Development, August 2020.
- Gender, entrepreneurship and food security in Niger. Sènakpon Fidèle Dedhouanou, Abelkrim Araar, Review of Development Economics Special Symposium, March 2020.
- Correlated non-classical measurement errors, ‘Second best’ policy inference, and the inverse size-productivity relationship in agriculture. Kibrom Araya Abay, Gashaw T. Abate, Christopher B. Barrett, Tanguy Bernard, Journal of Development Economics, June 2019.
- Diversify More or Less? Household Income Generation Strategies and Food Security in Rural Nigeria. Sènakpon Fidèle Dedhouanou, John McPeak, Journal of Development Studies, March 2019.
- Rainfall shocks and agricultural productivity: Implication for rural household consumption. Mulubrhan Amare, Nathaniel D. Jensen, Bekele Shiferaw, Jennifer Denno Cissé, Agricultural Systems, October 2018.
- Do Safety Net Transfers Improve Diets and Reduce Undernutrition? Evidence from Rural Ethiopia. Tagel Gebrehiwot, Carolina Castilla, Journal of Development Studies, August 2018.
- Spillovers from off-farm self-employment opportunities in rural Niger. Sènakpon Fidèle Dedhouanou, Abelkrim Araar, Aichatou Ousseini, Abdoulaziz Laouali Harouna, Maimounata Jabir, World Development, May 2018.
- Food insecurity and family structure in Nigeria. Nkechi S. Owoo, SSM – Population Health, April 2018.
- Patterns of labor productivity and income diversification – Empirical evidence from Uganda and Nigeria. Abdoulaye Djido, Bekele Shiferaw, World Development, May 2018.
- Locus of control and technology adoption in developing country agriculture: Evidence from Ethiopia. Kibrom Araya Abay, Garrick Blalock, Guush Berhane, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, November 2017.
- Nonfarm employment, agricultural intensification, and productivity change: empirical findings from Uganda. Mulubrhan Amare, Bekele Shiferaw, Agricultural Economics, October 2017.
- Technology Adoption and Risk Exposure Among Smallholder Farmers: Panel Data Evidence from Tanzania and Uganda. Adamon N. Mukasa, World Development, May 2017.
- The Impact of Agricultural Technology Adoption on Farmer Welfare in Uganda and Tanzania. [Policy Brief], Bethuel Kinyanjui Kinuthia, Edward Mabaya, February 2017.
- The Adoption and Dis-adoption of improved maize varieties in Tanzania. [Work in Progress], Bethuel Kinyanjui Kinuthia, Edward Mabaya.
- Spatial urban development and the structural transformation of African agriculture. [Work in Progress], Didier Alia, Christopher Boone.
- Decolonizing Development Economics: The STAARS Experience. [Blog], Kibrom A. Abay, Khadijat B. Amolegbe, Christopher B. Barrett, Kelsey L. Schreiber, Joanna B. Upton, Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative, June 2023.
- Building research capacity in an under-represented group: The STAARS program experience. Kelsey L. Schreiber, Christopher B. Barrett, Elizabeth R. Bageant, Abebe Shimeles, Joanna B. Upton, Maria DiGiovanni, Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, July 2022.
- Selling Crops Early to Pay for School: A Large-scale Natural Experiment in Malawi. Brian Dillon, The Journal of Human Resources, October 2021.
- For STAARS fellows and mentors, their Business is a Better World. [Blog], Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, February 2019.
- Estimating development resilience: A conditional moments-based approach. Jennifer Denno Cissé, Christopher Barrett, The Journal of Development Economics, November 2018.
- Growing and Learning When Consumption Is Seasonal: Long-Term Evidence From Tanzania. Paul Christian, Brian Dillon, Demography, June 2018.
- The unintended consequences of agricultural input intensification: Human health implications of pesticide use in Sub-Saharan Africa. [Policy Brief], Megan Sheahan, Christopher Barrett, Casey Goldvale, African Development Bank Group, August 2017.
- Occupational Choice and Agricultural Labor Exits in Sub-Saharan Africa. [Working Paper], Ellen McCullough, African Development Bank Group, October 2016.
Special Issue: World Development: Volume 105, May 2018
- Empirical Assessment of Subjective and Objective Soil Fertility Metrics in East Africa: Implications for Researchers and Policy Makers. Julia Berazneva, Linden McBride, Megan Sheahan, David Güereña, World Development, May 2018.
- Is Farmer-to-Farmer Extension Effective? The Impact of Training on Technology Adoption and Rice Farming Productivity in Tanzania. Yuko Nakano, Takuji W. Tsusaka, Takeshi Aida, Valerien O. Pede, World Development, May 2018.
- Intensification and Intrahousehold Decisions: Fertilizer Adoption in Burkina Faso. Hamza Haider, Melinda Smale, Veronique Theriault, World Development, May 2018.
- Breaking Ground: Unearthing the Potential of High-resolution, Remote-sensing Soil Data in Understanding Agricultural Profits and Technology Use in Sub-Saharan Africa. Anil K. Bhargava, Tor Vagen, Anja Gassner, World Development, May 2018.
- Gendered Social Networks, Agricultural Innovations, and Farm Productivity in Ethiopia. Daniel Ayalew Mekonnen, Nicolas Gerber, Julia Anna Matz, World Development, May 2018.
- Patterns of Labor Productivity and Income Diversification – Empirical Evidence from Uganda and Nigeria. Abdoulaye I. Djido, Bekele A. Shiferaw, World Development, May 2018.
- Small Firms, Structural Change and Labor Productivity Growth in Africa: Evidence from Tanzania. Xinshen Diao, Josaphat Kweka, Margaret McMillan, World Development, May 2018.
- Cities and Agricultural Transformation in Africa: Evidence from Ethiopia. Joachim Vandercasteelen, Seneshaw Tamru Beyene, Bart Minten, Johan Swinnen, World Development, May 2018.
- Agricultural Transformation in Africa? Assessing the Evidence in Ethiopia. Fantu N. Bachewe, Guush Berhane, Bart Minten, Alemayehu S. Taffesse, World Development, May 2018.
- Human health and pesticide use in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Megan Sheahan, Christopher Barrett, Casey Goldvale, The Journal of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, October 2017.
Special Issue: Agricultural Economics: Volume 48, November 2017
- Designing and evaluating sustainable development pathways for semi‐subsistence crop–livestock systems: lessons from Kenya. Roberto O. Valdivia, John M. Antle, Jetse J. Stoorvogel, The Journal of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, September 2017.
- Diet transformation in Africa: the case of Ethiopia. Ibrahim Hassen Worku, Mekdim Dereje, Bart Minten, Kalle Hirvonen, The Journal of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, September 2017.
- Finding default? Understanding the drivers of default on contracts with farmers’ organizations under the World Food Programme Purchase for progress pilot. Joanna Upton, Erin Lentz, The Journal of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, September 2017.