Scaling up an evaluated pilot

three arrows pointing up
Innovate, test, scale: Replicating and expanding a successful evaluated pilot to similar contexts.

A classic approach to evidence-based policy design is to first test an innovation at smaller scale, rigorously evaluate it, and scale the pilot up in the same context if it is shown to be successful. In particular, this method has been applied by governments that have created space for piloting and evaluation as a means to test promising new innovations or tweaks to existing programs. However, there can be important differences in context even within the same country or state, so it is important to factor in administrative capacity to implement the intervention on a broader scale and to consider potential general equilibrium effects.

For example, in Indonesia, researchers found that providing identification cards to beneficiary households improved access to Indonesia’s national rice subsidy program. The researchers tested three variations of intervention, and found that including price information on the cards and making eligibility information public to the community further increased the subsidy that eligible households received. This evidence informed the Government of Indonesia’s decision to scale up social assistance identification cards for a range of programs to the poorest households across the country.

Case Studies

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.
A family of four sitting on a coach looking at a laptop

Providing school quality information to improve housing mobility for low-income families

After research found that providing families with information on school quality increased Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) recipients’ moves to neighborhoods with higher-rated schools, an affordable housing website expanded the provision of school quality information to all of its 60,000 daily site...
Improving take-up of tax benefits in the United States

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 messaging on notification letters that simply and prominently displayed potential benefits.
Police training improves public perception and police morale.

Skills training to strengthen police performance

Training in soft skills for police in Rajasthan, India improved public perceptions of their performance.
Improving third-party pollution audits in Gujarat

Strengthening third-party audits to reduce pollution

Evidence from a randomized evaluation informed the scale-up of a pollution audit policy in Gujarat, India.
TNP2K commercial about the social protection identification card.

Targeted information to improve social assistance

Government scale-up improves access to targeted social programs for 65.67 million people.
TaRL activities taking place in a classroom in Gujarat, India

Teaching at the Right Level to improve learning

Reorienting instruction has improved learning opportunities for over 60 million students in India and Africa.