2017 HIGHLIGHTS

A few highlights from Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) in 2017, the first year of PIM's Phase 2.

We thank all colleagues, partners, and supporters for an interesting and productive 2017, and look forward to even more exciting partnerships, research, and achievements in 2018.

The book Structural change, fundamentals, and growth: A framework and case studies, a joint project by IFPRI and The World Bank with support from PIM, examines dynamics of developing countries' economic growth. Read blog and watch videos from the launch event to learn more		PIM jointly with the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) of the CGIAR's Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC) held a Conference on Impacts of International Agricultural Research: Rigorous Evidence for Policy		The book Agriculture, Development, and the Global Trading System: 2000-2015 focuses on two important elements of the relationship between the trading system and food security: the Doha Development Agenda of the WTO; and whether food price volatility can be managed through trade instruments.
PIM research on social protection has helped to support increased investment in social protection programs in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, delivering benefits to millions of people. Read more in PIM Outcome Note Strengthening resilience of rural households through improved social protection		Six PIM webinars in 2017 featured our research in topics including: the rise of medium-scale farms in Africa; investment options for sustainable development; community forestry and devolution of forest rights; public budgets for agricultural growth; developing-country seed systems and markets; and measuring women's empowerment.		The book The 1.5 billion people question: Food, vouchers, or cash transfers? examines if and how large-scale, domestic food-based programs in six countries evolved over time. The editors of the volume include a team drawn from the World Bank, IFPRI, and PIM. (See book launch event video)
The book Agriculture and the rural economy in Pakistan: Issues, outlooks, and policy priorities traces the historical evolution of public policy on food security, agriculture, and the rural economy in Pakistan and provides a detailed analysis of the factors underlying the multidimensional nature of the current situation.		The Ag-Incentives Consortium of international organizations (OECD, FAO, IDB, IFPRI, World Bank, and others) for measuring the policy environment for agriculture launched its website, a user-friendly online database that aggregates agricultural policy data from various sources into an interactive tool for guiding more informed policy.		Women in African Agricultural Research Data Portal, jointly launched by Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) and African Women for Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), features detailed sex-disaggregated data on human resources in agricultural research, as well as graphic tools for country comparisons and analysis.

The report Quantitative Foresight Modeling to Inform the CGIAR Research Portfolio seeks to help the CGIAR centers and research programs, as well as donors and other decision makers to assess the overall impact and benefits of investing in international and national agricultural research programs.		In collaboration with Cornell University and other partners, PIM provided competitive grants for travel and training for bright, early career African researchers under the Structural Transformation of African Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STAARS) fellowship.		The CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research housed in PIM and serving all CGIAR centers and programs was launched in January 2017. Check the Platform's website and newsletter to learn more.
Our  Flagship 5 colleagues participated in the World Bank's 2017 Land and Poverty Conference and organized a session "Acting to Secure Community and Indigenous Land Rights" (VIDEO)		PIM gender researchers co-authored series of The World Bank Group working papers that analyze the three key constructs in women’s empowerment: time use, women’s agency, and ownership and control of assets.		The paper by Doss et al. "Women in agriculture: Four myths" published in Global Food Security inspects and debunks well-intentioned but statistically unfounded stylized facts on women, agriculture, and the environment.