Elias, Hailu

Hailu Elias is an EfD Research Fellow and the Center Director of EfD Ethiopia based at the Research Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD) of the Addis Ababa University (AAU). Before moving to the EfD center, he served as the Dean of the College of Business and Economics (2021 – 2025) of the AAU. He is also an Assistant Professor of Economics (2016 – present), teaching Economics courses both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is also advising Master's and PhD students in Economics. Hailu has a Master's (2007) and a Ph.D. (2016) in Development Economics from the Collaborative PhD program of the Jönköping University and the Addis Ababa University. He has published his research works in reputable journals.

Research interests

Hailu’s areas of research include: Development Economics, Climate change and agriculture, environmental economics and Inclusive Green Finance. In his research, he has analyzed the role of mixed farming systems in crop yield improvement and adaptation to climate change; building resilience to climate change using three rounds of panel data collected from rural Ethiopia. He has also studied Household Saving Behavior in Rural Ethiopia; and the effect of credit constraints on Agricultural Productivity. He is currently involved in research on the impacts of Tariff Reform on household Energy conservation; and also in another research on the heterogeneous Effect of Migration on Labor Supply Response in Ethiopia.

Mentoring

Chair for more than ten master's and more than fifteen undergraduate theses. Participated in committees of 10+ theses, including a Ph.D. in Development Economics.

Grants and consultancy

1. Evaluating effectiveness of alternative adaptation strategies of farm households to climate change: Econometric and spatial perspective, Principal Investigator (PI), won a competitive thematic research grant of ETB 1.5 million of the Addis Ababa University, 2018 – 2020
2. Investment plan for "Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) in Ethiopia, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO), 2020
3. Review and Assessment of Contract Farming Operations in Ethiopia, UN-FAO, 2025.
4. Development framework and investment plans for four Agro commodities procurement zones in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray regions of Ethiopia,  UN-FAO, 2019
5. Impact of microfinance services of Afar, Somali and Omo MFIs on the welfare and resilience to climate change of beneficiaries in selected woredas from Eastern and Southern Ethiopia,  Farm Africa and Mercy Corps, 2017
6. Saving Promotion, mobilization and its implication for economic growth: challenges and opportunities,  Policy study Institute (PSI), FDRE, 2018
7. Enhancing the Productivity of Artisanal and Small Scale miners (ASM) and sector Capacity Building, Ministry of Mining, Ethiopian Government (FDRE),  2022 - 2025 (ongoing)
8. Development of Ethiopian Civil Aviation Transformation Program (CATP), Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and Ethiopian Airlines, 2024 - 2025 (ongoing)
9. Infrastructure development and allocation guidelines for ten Federal Agencies (ERA, EEP, EEU, Ethio telecom, Communication Authority, MoSHE, IDPC, Rail roads, Irrigation dev’t commission, and Ethiopia’s Airports enterprise), House of Federation, Ethiopian Government (FDRE), 2021

Policy engagement

• Senate member of the Addis Ababa University, 2021 - 2025
• Member of the Executive Board of the Ethiopian Economics Association (EEA) 2018 – 2023
• Member of the Executive Board of Gambella University, 2024 – present
• Board Chairperson of Tesfa Microfinance Institution, 2024 - present

Awards

• won a competitive thematic research grant of ETB 1.5 million from the Addis Ababa University, 2018 – 2020
• EfD Global Hub (Gothenburg University) Visiting Scholar, 2019

Publications

1. Bezabih, M., and Elias, H. (2018), "The Land Certification Program in Ethiopia: A Review of Achievements, Constraints and Opportunities", Book chapter in: Berck, Cyndi S., Peter Berck and Salvatore Di Falco (eds.): Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa: Food Security in a Changing Environment. Gothenburg, Sweden; Oxford, UK; and Washington, DC: Environment for Development and Resources for the Future/Routledge. 

DOI:   https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315149776

2. Elias H., Bezabih, M., and Ferede, T., (2017) "The Impact of Credit Constraints and Climatic Factors on Choice of Adaptation Strategies Evidence from Rural Ethiopia", Environment for Development (EfD), DP 17-01

https://www.efdinitiative.org/sites/default/files/publications/efd_dp-17-01.pdf

3. Elias, H. (2019), “Impact of Credit Constraints on Agricultural Productivity in the face of Climate Variability: Panel Data Evidence from Rural Ethiopia”, Ethiopian Journal of Economics,

https://www.ajol.info/index.php/eje/article/view/207537

4. Bekele, M., Bezabih, M., Elias, H., Fiscker, P., Gebrehiwot, T., Kuma, T., Mekasha, T., Mekonnen, A., Tarp, F., Teklewold, H. (2020).  “Building Resilience to Climate Change in Ethiopia what do we know so far?”  Development Economics Research Group (DERG), University of Copenhagen, Working Paper Series 01-2020, ISSN 2597-1018

https://www.econ.ku.dk/derg/wps/01-2020.pdf

5. Bekele, M. & Elias, H. (2023). “Mixed farming system for crop yield improvement and adaptation to climate change: Evidence from smallholder farmers in Ethiopia”. Ethiopian Journal of Economics (EJE), 32 (2)
    
6. Kebede, B., Daniel, L., Elias H., Köhlin, G., (2022), “Swedish Development Cooperation with Ethiopia: Sixty Years of Lessons Learned”, EBA Report 2022:06, The Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA), Sweden.

Published Book details: ISBN 978-91-88143-90-7

https://eba.se/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Swedish-Development-Cooperation-with-Ethiopia_Sixty-Years-of-Lessons-Learned_EBA_2022_06.pdf

7. Nakiwala, M., Mukiibi, S., Elias, H., Kiggundu, A. T. & Charles, W. (2024). Advancing Agenda 2063 by Improving Mortgage Access in Greater Kampala: A Logistic Regression Analysis of Eligibility and Developer Challenges”. Journal of Project Management Practice, 4(2), 97- 114   

https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/JPMP/article/view/56560

8. Nakiwala, M., Mukiibi, S., Kiggundu, A. T. & Elias, H. (2023). “Examining Awareness, Attitudes, and Challenges of Owner Developers Regarding Mortgage Financing Eligibility Terms in GKMA, Uganda”. East African Journal of Business and Economics, 6(1), 456-471. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajbe.6.1.1512
    
9. Alemu, A., Elias, H. & Kuma, T. (2023). “Economic and Social Costs of 2019-2020 Violent Political Unrest in Ethiopia”.  Ethiopian Journal of Business and Economics, EJBE , 13 (2), https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ejbe

10. Elias, H., Beshir M., and Mehare, A. (2022), “Household Saving Behavior in Rural Ethiopia: Challenges and Policy Options", Ethiopian Journal of Economics, 31(2): 33-72.