Dr Wolf Ellis

I have worked on living standards, livelihoods and food security in a wide range of contexts. My PhD research, at King's College London, quantified and contextualised the impacts of food aid for people visiting food banks and community meals in London, and developed new approaches to poverty measurement to fill gaps in existing data.

My other work has involved many different NGOs, universities, one UN agency, and UK government departments. I have conducted in-depth research in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda with Evidence for Development, collecting and analysing data from household survey interviews and focus groups in rural and urban areas and refugee camps, and delivering training activities. I have also led a project evaluating potential sources of data for product safety monitoring systems.

I joined CRSP in 2023. I work on both quantitative and qualitative research, building on previous use of Minimum Income Standard budgets in my doctoral research.

My main research interests revolve around patterns and implications of living standards and access to resources around the world, the incomes and other livelihood components that contribute to them, and broader issues of welfare, poverty and inequality. Methodologically, I am especially interested in the intricacies of people's experiences, and bringing data available for research and policy-making closer to real life circumstances.