Rachel Gordon conducted research for and managed the South Sudan and Uganda programs of the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC) at Feinstein from 2012 through 2016. She also conducted research on teenage pregnancy with SLRC Sierra Leone program and led the consortium’s Gender Task Team.
While in graduate school, Rachel worked on several Feinstein projects as a research assistant. She has worked with MIT/USAID’s Urban Resilience in Chronic Violence project and with the International Gender and Disaster Network. She has also worked on risk and crisis management for several international education and development organizations.
Rachel has a B.A., cum laude, in international studies and history from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. She has dual master’s degrees, with a focus on urban resilience and marginalized populations, from The Fletcher School and the department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning at Tufts University.
News Items
Daniel Maxwell and colleagues publish article in the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding
On October 11 the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding published the Trajectories of International Engagement with State and Local Actors: Evidence from South Sudan article written by Feinstein’s Daniel Maxwell. Dan…
Read MoreRachel Gordon discusses Uganda research at the 19th Annual Sustainable Development Conference
Rachel Gordon discussed the results of Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC) projects at the 19th Annual Sustainable Development Conference hosted by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute in Islamabad, Pakistan. On…
Read MoreFeinstein Research Projects
Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium Generating stronger evidence on conflict situations
The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium aims to generate a stronger evidence base on how people in conflict-affected situations make a living, access basic services like health care, education and water, and perceive and engage with governance at local and national levels.
Read MoreFeinstein Publications
Tracking change in livelihoods, service delivery, and governance: evidence from a 2013-2015 panel survey in Uganda

This report presents a series of challenges to conventional thinking around livelihood recovery for war-affected populations.
Read MoreStatebuilding and legitimacy: experiences of South Sudan

This report uses South Sudan as an example to interrogate people’s perceptions of the state, asking what – if not service delivery – fosters state legitimacy.
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