Evidence from randomized evaluations is changing how we understand and address problems related to poverty. Policymakers, practitioners, and funders worldwide are increasingly applying this learning to social policies and programs.
Over 400 million people have been reached by programs that were scaled up after being evaluated by J-PAL affiliated researchers. Many more have benefitted from the several broader ways evidence can inform policy, outlined below.
Well-designed randomized evaluations test theories and provide general insights about how programs designed to address poverty work. These insights, when combined with descriptive data and a deep understanding of the local context and institutions, provide useful guides for policy design. Strong partnerships between implementers, researchers, and donors are critical to leveraging evidence to inform policy.
Pathways to Policy Change
A government innovation lab to improve education
With support from J-PAL and IPA, the Ministry of Education in Peru created a dedicated unit to identify, test, and scale low-cost interventions to improve educational outcomes.
Fund flow reform for social program delivery
Central and state governments in India have adopted a financial reform to enhance public service delivery informed by evidence.
Giving directly to support poor households
GiveDirectly has expanded its cash transfer program, which was found in a randomized evaluation to have improved economic and psychological well-being in Kenya, to reach over 125,000 households in rural Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda since 2013.
Individualized tutoring to improve learning
Saga Education’s intensive math tutoring program has been shown to improve academic outcomes and has now reached 2,500 students facing barriers in the United States.
Information and enforcement to reduce overfishing
Evidence from a randomized evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis led the Chilean government to expand a consumer information campaign to protect at-risk marine species.
Information and mediation to improve labor courts
The Government of Mexico used insights from a randomized evaluation to inform a national labor law.
Limits of technological solutions to provider monitoring
Based on evidence that biometric monitoring technology did not increase doctors' attendance at primary health centers, the government of Karnataka decided to end the program, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
Parental engagement to improve children's schooling
The French Ministry of Education has expanded a parental involvement program to all public schools in the country on a voluntary basis.
Promoting housing choice to improve economic mobility
Evidence from a flagship randomized evaluation in the United States prompted legislative and administrative changes to expand housing choice for low-income families.
Simplified reminders to increase take-up of tax credits
Following an evaluation in California testing variations of reminder letters to low-income households to increase take-up of tax credits, the US tax agency scaled up nationally the use of reminders that simply and prominently displayed potential benefits.
Strengthening third-party audits to reduce pollution
Evidence from a randomized evaluation informed the scale-up of a pollution audit policy in Gujarat, India.
Targeted information to improve social assistance
Government scale-up improves access to targeted social programs for 65.67 million people.
Targeting the ultra-poor to improve livelihoods
A multifaceted livelihood program has reached and improved the standard of living for more than 640,000 women in Bangladesh and India following randomized evaluations by J-PAL affiliates.
Unintended effects of anonymous resumes
The French government abandoned a policy that would have required firms to make recruitment decisions based on anonymized resumes after research showed that a voluntary, pilot scheme actually harmed minority applicants’ employment chances.
Policymaker Voices
Enhancing Delivery through Financial Reform of MGNREGS
Using Identification Cards to Improve National Social Assistance in Indonesia
Resources
The Evidence to Policy resource page features tools for policymakers, practitioners, donors, and others interested in leveraging evidence to inform policy. These resources provide practical guidance on adapting evidence from one context to another, assessing whether a program is ready for scale, fostering a culture of evidence use within organizations, and more. View all Evidence to Policy resources.
