Ivica Petrikova is a researcher in 'development', focusing mostly on food security and development assistance.  Her research examines the effectiveness of public and private governance mechanisms in lower-income countries (particularly India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya) in addressing food and nutrition security. She also studies the securitisation and nationalisation of Western countries' development assistance and broader implications of these trends. Other development topics her research has explored include economic inequality, social exclusion, and poverty reduction.