Center for Strategic International Studies

Stabilization Efforts | 2023

How might we create measures and metrics to assess the impact of the Department of Defense's stabilization efforts?

Deeba Farhat || India

Deeba Farhat, a Kashmiri by origin, has served as an officer of the Indian Revenue Service and has worked with the ministry of finance in India’s government. As a civil servant, she has years of expertise in public finance and also has vast financial and legal knowledge in governance and policy.
Deeba has managed key portfolios in domestic and international taxation wherein she has interacted in a professional capacity with those in leadership roles for multinational corporations. She possesses diverse experience ranging from human resource management within the government to implementation of developmental programs in rural areas. Moreover, she has volunteered with organizations in the education sector, particularly those serving women. Her academic interests focus on public finance, development economics, international taxation, administrative law, and public policy. As a master of global affairs student, Deeba is the recipient of a McKenna Center Fellowship.

Yaryna Pysko || Ukraine

Yaryna Pysko graduated from Ukrainian Catholic University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She most recently worked as a junior analyst for Civitta, an international consulting company. She also has worked on Ukraine’s National Economic Strategy 2030 and on tourism and IT education research projects. She completed an internship at Dejure Foundation, a civic organization in Ukraine where she conducted research on law education and the juvenile justice system. She has participated in numerous volunteer projects.
In addition to speaking her native Ukrainian language, Yaryna is fluent in English and Russian, and has studied Chinese and Spanish. At the Keough School, she is eager to learn how to apply effective policy mechanisms to build a joyful and prosperous society. Upon graduation, she intends to apply her skills in the post-war recovery process in her homeland. As a master of global affairs student, Yaryna is the recipient of a Keough Family Fellowship.

Spencer Sexton || United States

Spencer Sexton recently completed the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program in rural Ishikawa Prefecture. Before that, he worked with international students from various countries as a designated school official for ELS Language Centers in Johnson City, Tennessee. Spencer has also studied and interned in Beijing. He speaks Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.
Spencer earned a BA in international affairs with a minor in China studies from East Tennessee State University. As a master of global affairs student, he is the recipient of a Donald & Marilyn Keough Fellowship Fellowship.

Ishika Sharan || India

Ishika Sharan has worked a research associate with the Trivedi Centre for Political Data in India, where she led projects that helped build open-source accessible datasets on public institutions and power holders in India—datasets that will help answer questions about the representation of power in the country. Ishika holds a master’s degree in liberal studies from Ashoka University, where she was a Young India Fellow. The fellowship aims to train students to become socially conscious leaders and exposes them to diverse spheres that combine research, study, and practice. Ishika majored in political science and media studies, and her thesis looked at the use of disinformation in news media as a way to legitimize political violence against minority communities in India.
Prior to her graduate studies, Ishika worked with the Akanksha Foundation, teaching students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and helping build sustainable liaisons with community members, including parents and leaders, to ensure continued support and interest in the students’ education. As a master of global affairs student, Ishika is the recipient of a Liu Institute Fellowship.

Overview

We will collaborate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to provide recommendations on assessing, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of the Department of Defense's (DoD) stabilization interventions in fragile states. This project will support the Global Fragility Act of 2019, presently the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS) which identifies and mandates a multi-pronged, evidence-based, coordinated USG interagency effort to address instability in four selected countries and one region. For the DoD, as a strategic partner in the SPCPS strategy, it is imperative to understand the effect its stabilization efforts have on addressing the drivers of conflict, promoting the foundations for stability, as well as establishing its role in collaboration with the Department of State and US Agency for International Development (USAID). We intend to primarily use key informant interviews and focus group discussions of implementing officials, local partners and civil society organizations. These stakeholders are important in facilitating civilian-related engagements on the ground as part of stabilization efforts to determine effective assessment, monitoring and evaluation frameworks to capture the implications of these interventions. Since Coastal West Africa is a focus region of the SPCPS, we propose three locations - Ghana, Togo, and Ivory Coast. We will present our findings in the form of a report and a policy brief for the CSIS and DoD.

Key Research Questions

Goal: Develop measures and metrics to assess the impact of the Department of Defense's stabilization efforts.

As part of both its role in the interagency Global Fragility Act (GFA) and broader work on peacekeeping and stabilization policy globally, the SPKP Team wants to determine how best to measure, assess, and track progress in Department of Defense stabilization efforts and the contributions to the National Security and Defense Strategies. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) is a key component of implementing the GFA, but is also critical to ensure that the impact of all stabilization and peacekeeping efforts match their intent and continue to adapt to the circumstances and needs of the reality on the ground.

However, understanding the effect that stabilization efforts have on addressing the drivers of conflict and promoting the foundations for stability is a significant challenge. The DoD seeks to undertake its own in-depth assessment of the potential outcomes of stabilization efforts and the steps toward increased stability to develop guidance for measuring and evaluating DoD conflict prevention and stability promotion initiatives.

This will require a crosswalk of DoD and U.S. Government (USG) stabilization objectives with potential indicators and metrics of impact. The work must be grounded in the realities of the complex situations in which stability efforts are implemented, while allowing for the flexibility to account for changing circumstances in-country and –region and differing drivers of conflict. Ultimately, the resulting guidance will help to steer DoD efforts to have a greater positive impact and increase accountability for, and recognition of, stabilization efforts. It will also inform strategic messaging efforts as well as needed reforms.

Definition of Success

This project tackles a compelling global challenge that is of relevance to the priorities and initiatives of the USG, but at its core is of critical importance to those living in and affected by conflict-prone states. The work will require intensive research, critical analysis, and innovative approaches, leveraging and developing an interdisciplinary toolkit of skills and knowledge to have real-world impact.

At the conclusion of this project the team will present evidence-based research and concrete policy recommendations to the U.S. Department of Defense to inform the agency’s efforts to implement the Global Fragility Act.

Required Team Skills

Interests/Background: Knowledge in the areas of conflict prevention, drivers of fragility, stabilization and capacity building, and related topics; General understanding of U.S. foreign policy stakeholders
Skills/Methodologies: Quantitative and qualitative data analysis; Impact assessments informing policy; Monitoring, evaluation, and learning approaches and techniques; Statistical analysis (e.g., logic modeling, evaluation matrices, outcome analysis);
Language(s): French; Portuguese; Language ability is preferred, but the requirement can be met through translators if necessary
Characteristics: Strong written and verbal communication skills; "Passion for leaving a situation better than you found it."

Partner Liaison

Erol Yayboke, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Possible Locations

Mozambique
Coastal West Africa Region (Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte D’Ivoire, Guinea)
Papua New Guinea
USA (Washington, DC)

Organization

The mission of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is to consistently provide responsive, forward-thinking, and insightful policy advice and support to the Secretary of Defense, and the Department of Defense, in alignment with national security objectives. The Stabilization and Peacekeeping Policy (SPKP) Team sits within the Counternarcotics and Stabilization Policy office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC). The SPKP Team develops policy, strategy, legislative actions, and intradepartmental and interagency initiatives supporting departmental stabilization and peacekeeping priorities.