Students from the Masters of Global Affairs program at the Keough School of Global Affairs recently showcased their initial research findings during the 2024 i-Lab Global Partnership Experience.

A unique, year-long consultancy opportunity, i-Lab offers students the chance to work in collaboration with nonprofit organizations on global projects addressing pressing challenges from food security to peacebuilding. Student teams of four engaged in experiential learning at sites around the world over the summer, gathering research focused on a specific question.

While projects remain ongoing, students shared valuable early insights on their respective issues, demonstrating their contributions. The September showcase provided a platform for the second-year students to present work, engage with peers and faculty and gauge public response to enhance their projects as they evolve.

Student research projects included:

Food Security

In partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), students addressed food insecurity through interventions like the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) and the challenges in scaling projects to sustainably reduce food poverty and increase human development among the most vulnerable populations. The team conducted research in Washington D.C., New York City, Dhaka and South Bend. Preliminary findings highlight a lack of resources and poor communication between the government and those on the ground. They also identified diverse funding, strong local leadership and government support as key factors for success.

Students also collaborated with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on a study on food insecurity induced by climate change and conflict. The research focused on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus approach to inform global policy and improve Catholic Relief Services programs. Their work emphasized the importance of empowering communities to meet daily dietary needs and highlighted the positive spillover effects of the nexus approach in fostering social cohesion.

Peace and Cohesion

An MGA team joined Mercy Corps, to address violence through evidence-based messaging in peacebuilding initiatives. The group analyzed ecosystems in the U.S., the U.K., Belgium, and Kenya, aiming to convince politicians, bureaucrats and donors of the benefits of specific peacebuilding messages. Student presenters highlighted the varying demands for evidence and the importance of strong relationships between individuals and larger entities.

A team partnered with Fund for Peace (FFP) examined the factors affecting the State Resilience Index on a global scale. Created in 2022, the State Resilience Index is a tool that measures the extent to which a country mitigates and recovers from a crisis in relation to its severity. Students aimed to enhance the index's reliability and influence in shaping resilience-focused programs. By gathering data from countries like Sri Lanka and Nigeria, they found that trust, inclusion and national institutions play a critical role in state resilience and that resilience exists at the national level and within communities.

Business and Development

In partnership with the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), a student team explored the Thai sugarcane value chain, a crucial driver of local economies, and how food and agriculture businesses could better support small-scale producers. Through data collection in Bangkok and Surin, Thailand, the team identified a lack of advocacy, insufficient government support and a cycle of debt among producers, concluding that collaborative efforts from multiple stakeholders are needed to resolve these issues.

Finally, a team worked with Oxfam on the Urban Food Hive initiative which addresses food insecurity exacerbated by inflation, climate change and urbanization. Students researched ways to promote local food production and shift consumer behavior, particularly among women and youth. Their fieldwork in Colombia and Nigeria and virtual studies in Kenya, Uganda and the Philippines showed that the initiative improved access to nutritious food through backyard and vertical farming and encouraged innovation in the sector. The team will continue working with Oxfam to advocate for a food policy prioritizing gender and youth inclusion, driving positive change.

Through partnerships with leading organizations facilitated by the Keough School’s i-Lab, each team conducted critical research and gathered initial insights to help drive positive change, said Dory Mitros Durham, assistant dean of academic affairs at the Keough School. The showcase, she said, highlighted student dedication and their ability to address systemic complex issues such as hunger and economic inequality.

The projects will continue to evolve as teams work on creating final deliverables for their organizational partners—scaling projects, presenting in-depth case studies, and writing policy memos—over the next five months. Ultimately, Durham said the students’ work will contribute to shaping more resilient, equitable and sustainable communities worldwide.

Originally published by Lizbeth Cortez-Galindo at pulte.nd.edu on November 05, 2024.