Policy Research

Rigorous Evidence. Policy Precision. Global Resilience.

The Center for Economic Research and Evaluation (CERE) is a specialized consultancy built upon a foundation of world-class economic research. Our methodology is rooted in the extensive professional portfolio of our founder, who served as a senior lead in global agricultural and trade policy research at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) for nearly a decade. We leverage this deep institutional experience to provide our clients with the same level of analytical rigor found in the world’s leading research organizations.

Foundational Research Portfolio (2017–2025)

Our principal’s tenure at IFPRI involved leading the data analysis and co-authoring high-impact reports on the most critical challenges in global food systems:

  1. Agricultural Trade Policy & Market Volatility

Our founder was a core member of the research teams analyzing how domestic policies trigger global price shocks. This work provides the basis for CERE’s current trade intelligence services:

  • Price Insulation Analysis: Conducted quantitative research on how trade policy responses—such as export restrictions during the Russia-Ukraine war—amplify international food price volatility.
  • Policy Tracking Systems: Led the development and documentation for global trackers monitoring food and fertilizer export restrictions to enhance market transparency.
  • Regional Deep-Dives: Analyzed the specific impacts of Indian rice export bans and Red Sea shipping disruptions on global supply chains.
  1. Reforming Agricultural Support & Climate Impact

Our expertise in modeling the intersection of economic productivity and environmental sustainability is built on foundational research for the World Bank and Nature Communications:

  • GHG Emissions Modeling: Performed complex modeling of how agricultural support policies contribute to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
  • Policy Repurposing: Contributed to landmark studies on repurposing agricultural subsidies to improve health, economic, and planetary outcomes.
  • Productivity Gains: Investigated the incidence of farm subsidies on global agricultural productivity, providing evidence-based pathways for reform.
  1. National Food System Roadmaps & Poverty Dynamics

We utilize advanced multi-objective modeling and household-level data to support national-level policy decisions:

  • Costing Transformation: Led the technical analysis and costing for national agrifood system transformation roadmaps in Cambodia, Madagascar, Zambia, and the DRC.
  • Shock Resilience: Analyzed the poverty impacts of food availability responses to weather shocks, such as El Niño, in Southern and Eastern Africa.
  • Harmonized Data Foundations: Developed the POVANA database, a multi-country household survey repository covering 600,000 households across 35 countries to support precise poverty analysis.

Intellectual Capital Summary

Research DomainFounder's Institutional Role (IFPRI/FAO)CERE’s Current Offering
Trade Policy MonitoringLead Developer of Global TrackersAgentic AI Trade Trackers
Macro-Modeling (CGE)Co-Modeler for GHG & Market VolatilityScenario & Foresight Analysis
Poverty & NutritionLead Analyst for LSMS/POVANA HarmonizationAutonomous Survey Analytics
Incentives AnalysisLead for AgIncentives DatabaseRigorous Policy Evaluation

The CERE Research Advantage

As a principal-led boutique firm, CERE ensures that the institutional rigor of our founder’s past work at IFPRI and the World Bank is integrated into every new project. We are now evolving this foundational expertise into Agentic AI solutions, automating the monitoring of global trade and commodity prices while preserving the methodological soundness required for decision-grade policy intelligence.

Transforming economic research, data, and AI into decision-grade policy intelligence.