John McPeak’s Publications Page
Journal Articles
Peer Reviewed
“The Protective Role of Index Insurance in the Experience of Violent Conflict: Evidence from Ethiopia.”. with Tekalign Sakketa and Daniel Maggio. Journal of Development Economics. (2025) forthcoming
“Addressing concerns of access and distribution of health workforce: a discrete choice experiment to develop rural attraction and retention strategies in southwestern Ethiopia” with Abdela Alite Hilo. BMC Health Services Research. (2025) forthcoming.
“Does Community-Based Adaptation Enhance Social Capital? Evidence from Senegal and Mali.” With Hannah Akanksha Patnaik. Journal of Development Studies. 59 (11); 1718-1740. (2023)
Perceived access to PrEP as a critical step in engagement: A qualitative analysis and discrete choice experiment among young men who have sex with men With Elizabeth A. Asiago-Reddy, Riccardo Scarpa, Amy Braksmajer, Nicola Ruszkowski, James McMahon, and Andrew S. London. PLOS One. (2022)
Diversify More or Less? Household Income Generation Strategies and Food Security in Rural Nigeria. With Senakpon F. A. Dedehouanou. Journal of Development Studies.(2019)
Resilience from the ground up: how are local resilience perceptions and global frameworks aligned? With Emilie Beauchamp, Jennifer Abdella, Susannah Fisher, Hannah Patnaik, Papa Koulibaly, Daouda Cissé, Mamadou Touré, Aly Bocoum, Momath Ndao, Yacouba Deme, Bara Gueye. Disasters. 43(S3): S295-S317 (2019)
Land Use and Tenure Insecurity in the Drylands of Southern Ethiopia. With Peter Little. Journal of Development Studies (2019) 55(6): 1307-1324
Mobile Peoples, Contested Borders: Land use conflicts and resolution mechanisms among Borana and Guji communities, southern Ethiopia. With Peter Little. World Development (2018) 103:119-132
Digital wiki map of pastoral geographies in eastern Senegal. With Matthew Turner, Erin Kitchell, and J
Applying the Concept of Resilience to Pastoralist Household Data. With Peter Little. Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice (2017) 7:14
Reconciling Flexibility and Tenure Security for Pastoral Resources: The Geography of Transhumance Networks in Eastern Senegal. With Matthew D. Turner, Kramer Gillin, Erin Kitchell and Niwaeli Kimambo. Human Ecology. (2016). 44: 199-215
Cattle sharing and rental contracts in an agrarian economy: Evidence from Ethiopia. With Million Tadesse, Stein T. Holden, and Ragnar A Øygard. Agricultural Economics. (2016) 47:479-492
Mapping of Pastoral Corridors: Practices and Politics in Eastern Senegal with Erin Kitchell and Matthew Turner. Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice. (2014) 4(17)
“The Role of Livestock Mobility in the Livelihood Strategies of Rural Peoples in Semi-Arid West Africa” with Matthew Turner and Augustine Ayantunde. Human Ecology. (2014) 42: 231-247
“Trade” in African Studies, Oxford Bibliographies Online (2012). Thomas Spear, editor in chief.. Oxford University Press
“Risk and Intertemporal Substitution: Livestock Portfolios and Off-Take Among Kenyan Pastoralists” with Travis Lybbert. Journal of Development Economics. (2012) 97:415-426
“Leaving or Staying: Inter-Provincial Migration in Vietnam”. With Phuong Nguyen-Hoang. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal. (2010) 19(4): 473-500.
“Explaining Index Based Livestock Insurance to Pastoralists“. With Sommarat Chantarat and Andrew Mude. Agricultural Finance Review. (2010) 70(3):333-352
“Dynamic Field Experiments in Development Economics: Risk valuation in Morocco, Kenya and Peru” With Travis Lybbert, Francisco Glazara, Christopher B. Barrett, Stephen Boucher, Michael R. Carter, Sommarat Chantarat, Aziz Fadlaoui, and Andrew Mude. Agricultural & Resource Economics Review (2010) 39(2): 176-192
“Do Community Members Share Development Priorities? Results of a Ranking Exercise in East African Rangelands.” With Cheryl Doss, Christopher B. Barrett and Patti Kristjanson. Journal of Development Studies. (2009) 45(10): 1663-1683
“Identifying Conservation Opportunities among Malinké Bushmeat Hunters of Guinea, West Africa.” With Sharon Pailler, John Wagner, and Don Floyd. Human Ecology. (2009) 37(4): 761-774
“Empirical Forecasting of Slow-Onset Disasters for Improved Emergency Response: an Application to Kenya’s Arid North.” With Andrew Mude, Christopher B. Barrett, Robert Kaitho, and Patti Kristjanson. Food Policy. (2009) 34(4): 329-339
“Understanding Declining Mobility and Interhousehold Transfers Among East African Pastoralists.” With Marieke Huysentruyt and Christopher B. Barrett. Economica. (2009) 76: 315:336
“Challenging Orthodoxies: Understanding Poverty in Pastoral Areas of East Africa.” With Peter Little, Christopher B. Barrett and Patti Kristjanson. Development and Change. (2008) 39(4): 587-611
“Interpersonal, Intertemporal and Spatial Variation in Risk Perceptions: Evidence from East Africa.” With Cheryl Doss and Christopher B. Barrett. World Development. (2008) 36(8): 1453-68.
“Educational Investments in a Dual Economy” With Andrew Mude, Christopher B. Barrett and Cheryl Doss. Economica (2007) 74:351-369.
“Bayesian Herders: Updating of Rainfall Beliefs In Response To External Forecasts.” With Travis Lybbert, Christopher B. Barrett, and Winnie Luseno. World Development (2007) 35(3):480-497.
“Confronting the Risk of Asset Loss: What role do livestock transfers in northern Kenya play?” Journal of Development Economics. (2006) 81(2): 415-437.
“Are Household Production Decisions Cooperative? Evidence on Pastoral Migration and Milk Sales from Northern Kenya.” With Cheryl R. Doss. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. (2006) 88(3): 525-541.
“Welfare Dynamics in Rural Kenya and Madagascar,”With Christopher B. Barrett, Paswel Phiri Marenya, Bart Minten, Festus M. Murithi, Willis Oluoch-Kosura, Frank Place, Jean Claude Randrianarisoa, Jhon Rasambainarivo and Justine Wangila Journal of Development Studies, (2006) 42(2): 248-277
“Individual and Collective Rationality in Pastoral Production: Evidence from Northern Kenya.” Human Ecology. (2005) 33(2): 171-197
“Linkages Between Community, Environmental, and Conflict Management: Experiences from Northern Kenya.” With Guyo Haro and Godana Doyo World Development. (2005) 33(2): 285-299
“Contrasting Income Shocks with Asset Shocks: Livestock Sales in Northern Kenya.” Oxford Economic Papers. (2004) 56: 263-284.
“Analyzing and Addressing Localized Degradation in the Commons.” Land Economics (2003) 78(4): 515-536
“Assessing the Value of Climate Forecast Information for Pastoralists: Evidence from Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya” with Winnie Luseno, Christopher B. Barrett, Peter Little and Getachew Gebru. World Development. (2003) 31(9):1477-1494.
“Differential Risk Exposure and Stochastic Poverty Traps Among East African Pastoralists,” with Christopher B. Barrett. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. (2001) 83:3 674-679.
“Diversity in Income Generating Activities for Sedentarized Pastoral Women in Northern Kenya,” with Immaculate Nduma and Patti Kristjanson. Human Organization.(2001) 60(4): 319-325
Not Peer Reviewed
“Policy, Technology and Management Strategies for Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Transformation.” With David R. Lee and Christopher B. Barrett. Agricultural Economics. (2006) 34(2): 123-127. Introduction for a special issue.
“The Dynamics of Coupled Human and Natural Systems.” With David. R. Lee and Christopher B. Barrett. Environment and Development Economics. (2006) 11:9-13 Introduction for a special section.
“Institutional Arrangements for Rural Poverty Reduction and Resource Conservation.” With Christopher B. Barrett and David R. Lee. World Development. (2005) 33(2): 193-197. Introduction for a special issue.
Book Reviews
Review of “Ecology of African Pastoralist Societies” Human Ecology. (2010) 38(4):583-4
Review of “Impact of Science on African Agriculture and Food Security.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics. (2009) 91(4): 1159-1160
Book Chapters
The Role of Pastoralists’ Tradition / Cultural Institutions in Climate Change Resilience in West Africa. (2017) Proceedings of the 2017 IPCA – ISWAS Meetings, Tang Shiwei and Zhao Shurong (eds.) USTEC, Chengdu, China. pages 805-818.
Mude AG, Chantarat S, Barrett CB, Carter MR, Ikegami M and McPeak JG. Insuring against drought-related livestock mortality: piloting index-based livestock insurance in Northern Kenya. In, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). 2011. Towards Priority Actions for Market Development for African Farmers: Proceedings of an International Conference. 13-15 May 2009, Nairobi Kenya. AGRA and ILRI Nairobi, Kenya (2011)
“The Environment and Development.” in The International Handbook of Development Economics. Amitava Krishna Dutt and Jamie Ros (Eds.) Edward Elgar Publishing. Volume 1, Chapter 28, pages 404-16 (2008)
“Linkages Between Community, Environment and Conflict Management: Experiences from Northern Kenya” Guyo Haro, Godana Doyo, and John McPeak in Decentralization and the Social Economics of Development: Lessons from Kenya Christopher B. Barrett, Andrew G. Mude, and John M. Omiti Editors. CABI Press. Reprinted from the 2005 World Development article. (2007)
“Introduction.” With Peter D. Little in Pastoral Livestock Marketing in Eastern Africa: Research and Policy Challenges. John G. McPeak and Peter D. Little. Editors. IT Publishing. (2006)
“Livestock Marketing in Marsabit District, Kenya, over the past fifty years.” in Pastoral Livestock Marketing in Eastern Africa: Research and Policy Challenges. John G. McPeak and Peter D. Little. Editors. IT Publishing. (2006)
“Livestock Market Organization and Price Distributions in Northern Kenya.” With Alan M. Green, Christopher B. Barrett, and Winnie K. Luseno. in Pastoral Livestock Marketing in Eastern Africa: Research and Policy Challenges. John G. McPeak and Peter D. Little. Editors. IT Publishing. (2006)
“Policy Implications and Future Research Directions.” With Peter D. Little and Montague W. Demment in Pastoral Livestock Marketing in Eastern Africa: Research and Policy Challenges. John G. McPeak and Peter D. Little. Editors. IT Publishing. (2006)
“Poverty Traps and Safety Nets.” with Christopher B. Barrett, in Poverty, Inequality and Development: Essays in Honor of Erik Thorbecke. Alain de Janvry and Ravi Kanbur (eds.). Springer. (2006)
“Simulation Noise and the Estimation of Land Use Decisions in Kenya.” in Applications of Simulation Methods in Environmental and Resource Economics Riccardo Scarpa and Anna Alberini (eds.). Springer. (2005)
“Cursed If You Do, Cursed If You Don’t: the contradictory processes of pastoral sedentarization in Northern Kenya.” with Peter D. Little in As Pastoralists Settle: Social, Economic, and Health Consequences of Pastoral Sedentarization in Northern Kenya, Eric Roth and Elliot Fratkin (eds.). Kluwer Academic Publishers. (2005)
Books
Risk and Social Change in an African Rural Economy: Livelihoods in Pastoralist Communities. John G. McPeak, Peter D. Little, and Cheryl R. Doss. Routledge Press. 2012
Pastoral Livestock Marketing in Eastern Africa: Research and Policy Challenges. John G. McPeak and Peter D. Little. Editors. IT Publishing. (2006)
Research Briefs (most are co-authored)
2017
“Understanding local demand for resilient development“. Decentralizing Climate Funds (DCF). Near East Foundation (NEF).
2014
Pastoralism and Resilience South of the Sahara. With Peter Little. IFPRI 2020 Resilience Conference Brief. (2014)
2012
“Mapping Transhumance Corridors in West Africa” With Matthew Turner. GSFA / RIVERS and MLPI 2 projects of the Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change Collaborative Research Support Project. RB-03-2012. (2012)
2011
“Mali Livestock & Pastoralist Initiative (MLPI-2) Building on Success, Looking to the Future” « Initiative d’aide aux pasteurs et à l’élevage au Mali (MLPI-2) Bâtir sur les succès, regarder vers l’avenir ». With Sarah Lupis and Jay Angerer. Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change Collaborative Research Support Project. (2011). English version PB-06-2011_E. French Version PB-06-2011_F
2010
Risk Ranking in Northern Mali. RB 10-01-MLPI_risk_ranking
Role of Farmer Organizations in the Strategy for Improving the Quality of Life for Livestock Producers in Northern Mali. RB 10-02-MLPI_farm_organizations
Animal Fattening in Northern Mali. RB 10-04-MLPI_animal_fattening
Management and Use of Bourgou (Echinochloa stagnina). RB 10-05-MLPI_bourgou
2009
Documenting Causes of Livestock Mortality Among Pastoralists in Ethiopia and Kenya GL CRSP research brief. LITEK 09-01
In What Ways are People in Pastoral Areas Integrated into the Cash Economy? GL CRSP research brief.LITEK 09-02
2008
Altering Poverty Dynamics with Index Insurance: Northern Kenya’s HSNP+. AMA CRSP research brief. amabrief08-08
Insuring the Never before Insured: Explaining Index Insurance through Financial Education Games. BASIS2008_07.
“Changing Livelihoods, Risky Environments: Social and Economic Change among Pastoralists in East Africa.” 08-01-LITEK
“How Are They Surviving Out There? An Analysis of Total Income in the PARIMA Study Sites.” 08-02-LITEK
2006
These four are contained in this collection of the briefs.
“Do Pastoral Husbands and Wives in Northern Kenya View Milk Markets Differently?”Global Livestock CRSP Research Brief 06-06-PARIMA
“Empirical Forecasting of Slow-Onset Disasters for Improved Emergency Response: An application to Kenya’s Arid Lands” Global Livestock CRSP Research Brief 06-07-PARIMA
“Variation in Risk Perceptions across Individuals, Time, and Space: Evidence from Pastoral East Africa.” Global Livestock CRSP Research Brief 06-08-PARIMA
“Development Priorities in the Rangelands of Northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia: Results of a Ranking Exercise Among Pastoralists.” Global Livestock CRSP Research Brief 06-09-PARIMA
2005
“Linkages Among Community, Environmental, and Conflict Management: Experiences from Northern Kenya.” With Guyo Haro and Godana Doyo. 05-01-PARIMA
“Do Livestock Transfers Among Gabra Herders Insure Against Herd Loss?” 05-09-PARIMA
2004
“Herd Accumulation: Pastoral Strategy to Reduce Risk Exposure.” PARIMA0405.
“Constraints Limiting Marketed Livestock Offtake Rates Among Pastoralists.” PARIMA0406.
2003
“Fuelwood Gathering and Use in Northern Kenya: Implications for Food Aid and Local Environments.” PARIMA0301.
“Pastoral Sedentarization and Community Resilience in Response to Drought: Perspectives from Northern Kenya.” PARIMA0302
2002
“Poverty Traps and Resource Degradation.” With Chris Barrett, Larry Blume, Bart Minten, Festus Murithi, Ben Okumu, Alice Pell, Frank Place, Jean Claude Randrianarisoa, and Jhon Rasambainarivo. BASIS Brief #6, (January 2002.) basbrief06.pdf
2001
“Pastoralists’ Use of Markets.” PARIMA0104
Reports
Self-Assessed Resilience and Its Correlation to Specific Indicators (2017). McPeak, John, and Jennifer Abdella with the assistance of Hannah Patnaik, Ashley Saulcy and Stephanie Spera. Contribution from the Near East Foundation Consortium under the BRACED programme of DfID. French version.
The Role of Pastoralists’ Tradition / Cultural Institutions in Climate Change Resilience in West Africa. (2017) Report Prepared for the International Food Policy Research Institute.
The Role of Pastoralists’ Tradition / Cultural Institutions in Climate Change Resilience. (2017) Report Prepared for the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Report of a Consultancy for Livestock Systems and Environment Program (2016). Report prepared for the Accelerated Value Chain Development program of the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya.
Pastoral Land Tenure at the Margins of Intensive and Extensive Land Use: Baseline Survey Results from a USAID Customary Land Rights Recognition Project in Southern Ethiopia. Prepared for the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty. (2015). With Peter Little, Heather Huntington, and M. Mercedes Stickler.
Section 3, Social and Political Impacts of Increased Market Involvement, (2014) with Peter Little, in Human, Social and Political Dimensions of Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa, FAO and World Bank.
Resilience and Pastoralism in Africa South of the Sahara, with a Particular Focus on the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, West Africa. With Peter Little. (2014) IFPRI 2020 Resilience Conference Paper 9.
“Market Access and Trade Issues Affecting the Drylands in the Horn of Africa.”With Yacob Aklilu, Peter D. Little, and Hussein Mahmoud. (2013) Brief #2, Technical Consortium for Building Resilience to Drought in the Horn of Africa. ILRI: Nairobi.
Report 1: Retrospective Assessment of Pastoral Policies in Ethiopia, 1991-2008, With Peter Little, Roy Behnke, and Getachew Gebru., Pastoral Economic Growth and Development Policy Assessment, Ethiopia, 30 pages. (2010)
Report 2: Future Scenarios for Pastoral Development in Ethiopia, 2010-2025, With Peter Little, Roy Behnke, and Getachew Gebru., Pastoral Economic Growth and Development Policy Assessment, Ethiopia, 57 pages. (2010)
Report 3: Policy Options for Pastoral Development in Ethiopia With Peter Little, Roy Behnke, and Getachew Gebru., Pastoral Economic Growth and Development Policy Assessment, Ethiopia, 14 pages. (2010)
Report 4: Policy Options for Pastoral Development in Ethiopia and Reaction from the Regions, With Peter Little, Getachew Gebru and Solomon Desta., Pastoral Economic Growth and Development Policy Assessment, Ethiopia, 26 pages. (2010)
Assessing the Value of Climate Forecast Information for Pastoralists: Evidence from Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. With Winnie Luseno, Chris Barrett, Peter Little and Getachew Gebru. Columbia Earth Insitute, Columbia University. IRI Technical Report 02-03. (2002)