Our current portfolio consists of the following research activities and programs:
1. Poverty Program
The Institute is working on a research project named “Understanding the Drivers of Poverty in Afghanistan”. The project, supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), will seek to: (i) identify the statistically significant drivers of poverty in Afghanistan, by taking into account both the temporal and spatial variation in poverty since 2007 and across the 34 provinces in the country; (ii) discuss a number of policy measures that could help the country achieve its SDGs in poverty by 2030, including assessing the political economy of poverty reduction in Afghanistan; and (iii) characterize and depict some important data patterns to help instigate meaningful discussions and policy debate on the poverty alleviation agenda in the country.
The findings and results of the project will be available in September 2021.
The project falls under the Institute’s first research pillar, ‘Growth, Inequality, and Poverty Reduction’.
2. Regional Cooperation
Estimating the Cost of Non-Cooperation Between South and Central Asia is an ongoing study at the Institute. This research assesses Afghanistan’s vision for regional economic connectivity within the context of South and Central Asia dynamics. We will explore the benefits of regional economic cooperation (or cost of non-cooperation) using a global economic trade model (GTAP). The study will then identify and analyze the challenges that impede achieving regional connectivity in the region.
Finally, we will evaluate and propose solutions moving forward. The appeal of pursuing greater regional cooperation is that it will have observable and direct impact on the living conditions of the people of Afghanistan and that of the wider region. Enhanced regional cooperation will improve economic outcomes for the poor and will create interdependency among the states. As such, this study will contribute to the debate on Afghanistan’s vision and approach pertaining to regional and inter-regional matters, and its pursuit in becoming a trading hub in the region as envisioned in the ANPDF II.
The findings and results of the project will be available in September 2021.