Search our database of 1,200+ summaries of randomized evaluations conducted by our affiliates in 97 countries. To browse key policy recommendations from a subset of these evaluations, visit the Policy Publications tab above.

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Improving Educational Outcomes through Online Tutoring during Schools Closures in Italy during the Covid-19 Outbreak

Michela Carlana
Eliana La Ferrara
Researchers designed a free online tutoring program delivered by volunteer university students to test whether it could mitigate the effects of school closures during the COVID-19 outbreak. They found that the program had a positive outcome on students' learning outcomes, socio-emotional skills, and...
Indian man in a field talking on phone

Using Technology to Improve Direct Benefit Transfer in India

Eric Dodge
Charity Troyer Moore
Yusuf Neggers
Rohini Pande
Can using technological innovations for monitoring improve the administrative implementation of social protection programs? In partnership with the Ministry of Rural Development in two states in India, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation of a new internet- and mobile-based management and...
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Expanding Financial Access Via Credit Cards: Evidence from Mexico

Sara G. Castellanos
Diego J. Jiménez Hernández
Aprajit Mahajan
Researchers leveraged data from a randomized evaluation conducted by a large bank in Mexico to test the impact of varying credit card contract terms on loan default, card cancellation rates, and bank revenue for first-time formal sector borrowers. Variations in the interest rate and minimum payment...
A doctor examines the eyes of a child held by his mother in rural Nigeria.

Pay for Performance Incentives for Healthcare Workers and Their Supervisors in Sierra Leone

Stefano Caria
Erika Deserranno
Philipp Kastrau
Working with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone, researchers evaluated the impact of incentivizing community health workers (CHWs), their supervisors, or both on health care provision. Sharing the incentive between CHWs and their supervisors resulted in more health care visits...
Women in Kataek, Uganda, make cloths to sell in small-scale trading.

Improving Women’s Labor and Welfare Outcomes through Microfinance in Uganda

Oriana Bandiera
Robin Burgess
Erika Deserranno
Imran Rasul
Munshi Sulaiman
Researchers in rural Western Uganda tested whether a microfinance program can help women borrowers switch out of subsistence agriculture to other labor activities, such as entrepreneurship or small-scale trading. While microloans helped women switch into service-based jobs including small-scale...
Group of people use hoes to till field

The Role of Social Connections in the Delivery of Extension Services and Technology Adoption in Uganda

Oriana Bandiera
Robin Burgess
Erika Deserranno
Ricardo Morel
Imran Rasul
Munshi Sulaiman
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test both the impact of BRAC’s extension program on economic outcomes and the role of social incentives in shaping the delivery of the program to farmers. While they found that overall, farmers in villages that received the program had higher...
A Community Health Worker addresses a group of people in Kenya.

The Impact of Meritocratic Promotions and Pay Progression on Health Care Workers' Productivity in Sierra Leone

Erika Deserranno
Philipp Kastrau
Researchers tested the impact of a meritocratic promotion system and beliefs about pay progression on the productivity of Community Health Workers in Sierra Leone. A combination of meritocracy and the promise of a steep salary increase after promotion led workers to make more health care visits...
A Community Health Worker teaches nutrition to members of local households

Advertising Higher Earnings during Recruitment Processes for Community Service Providers in Uganda

Erika Deserranno
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of expected earnings on candidates’ perception of a community health worker position in Uganda, and on the resulting size and composition of the applicant pool. Fewer socially motivated participants applied when advertised wages were...