Taster Session: What Works in Humanitarian Action—And What’s Worth Funding?
09 July 2025, 12:00 pm–12:50 pm

Join Dr Stefan Leeffers for a taster lecture exploring how impact evaluations guide funding decisions and improve the effectiveness of humanitarian action.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
RDR Comms
What Works in Humanitarian Action—And What’s Worth Funding?
By Stefan Leeffers
With shrinking budgets and growing crises, humanitarian actors must do more with less. This lecture introduces the tools we use to evaluate what works, what doesn’t, and what’s worth investing in.
Dr Stefan Leeffers is a Lecturer in Disaster and Crisis Risk Finance at the UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR). As a development economist, his research focuses on disaster risk management and governance in low- and middle-income countries. He specialises in designing and conducting impact evaluations to identify innovative strategies that reduce disaster impacts and build resilience.
Dr Leeffers has published in leading academic journals, including World Development and Economic Development and Cultural Change, and has conducted fieldwork in Mozambique, Angola, and the Dominican Republic. He previously worked as a consultant in disaster risk finance and impact evaluation at the World Bank. His teaching equips students with the economic concepts needed to critically evaluate humanitarian action and develop effective policies.
Study at UCL Risk and Disaster Reduction
Interested in undergraduate or postgraduate study in risk, disaster reduction, and humanitarian action?
The RDR Virtual Taster Sessions provide prospective students with a taste of what it’s like to study in the UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR). Our taster sessions are free to attend, and you can sign up for as many as you like, depending on your interest areas. Sessions are led by RDR academics, and you will have the opportunity to engage directly with our internationally renowned experts.