Search our database of 1,200+ summaries of randomized evaluations conducted by our affiliates in 98 countries. To browse key policy recommendations from a subset of these evaluations, visit the Policy Publications tab above.

Displaying 161-168 of 1286
Farmer stands in a field

Using GPS-enabled Cellphones to Monitor Agricultural Extension Agents in Paraguay

Ernesto Dal Bó
Frederico Finan
Nicholas Y. Li
Laura Schechter
Researchers partnered with the Government of Paraguay to measure the impact of a new monitoring technology—GPS-enabled cell phones—on the job performance of agricultural extension agents (AEAs). Overall, cell phones improved AEAs’ performance by increasing the share of farmers visited, and...
A woman using her tablet in Colombia.

Tablet-Based Financial Education in Colombia

Orazio Attanasio
Matthew Bird
Lina Cardona-Sosa
Pablo Lavado
Researchers collaborated with Fundación Capital and the Government of Colombia to conduct a randomized evaluation of LISTA, a tablet-based financial education program designed for participants in Colombia's government CCT program, to study its impact on financial knowledge and behavior. LISTA had...

Improving Economic and Psychological Well-being through Unconditional Cash Transfer in Kenya

Johannes Haushofer
Charlotte Ringdal
Jeremy Shapiro
Xiao Yu Wang
In Rarieda, Kenya, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of GiveDirectly’s UCT program on poor rural households’ economic and psychological well-being. Results demonstrated that the program had significant welfare-improving impacts, both economically and psychologically...
Malaria medication

The Impact of Discounting the Cost of Medicine on Overprescriptions in Mali

Carolina Lopez
Anja Sautmann
Simone Schaner
Researchers varied patients’ information about a discount on treatment for simple malaria and measuring take-up of treatment to identify the factors driving overtreatment. While patient pressure on doctors in response to the discount led to excess prescription of antimalarials, there was no evidence...
Patients were paired with health providers from a mix of public and private facilities to engage in a game set up to simulate real-world interactions between patients and providers.

The Role of Patient Complaints on Health Provider Performance in Kenya

Isaac Mbiti
Danila Serra
Poor infrastructure, limited access to medicine, poor service provision, and a lack of accountability often lead to poor health outcomes in many developing countries. Researchers conducted a lab-in-the-field randomized experiment to evaluate patients’ willingness to file complaints against service...
A female nurse examines a female patient at a clinic in India.

The Impacts of Mental Health Treatment on Work and Productivity in India

Manuela Angelucci
Daniel Bennett
Researchers evaluated the impact of providing depression treatment and economic assistance on mental health and economic behavior in peri-urban communities near Bangalore, India. Treatment reduced depression severity, a benefit that persisted when paired with light-touch livelihoods assistance, but...
Road under construction

Measuring the Economic Returns to Street Paving in Mexico

Marco Gonzalez-Navarro
Climent Quintana-Domeque
Many urban areas in developing countries lack basic services such as piped water, electricity, sewage lines, and paved roads. Researchers analyzed the effect of paving streets in residential areas in Mexico on the living standards of adjacent households. Street paving increased property values...
Women carrying food in Tanzania.

Incentives to Reduce Unsafe Sex in Rural Tanzania

Ramadhani Abdul
Faraji Abilahi
William Dow
Erick Gong
Zachary Isdahl
Julian Jamison
Boniphace Jullu
Suneeta Krishnan
Albert Majura
Carol A. Medlin
Edward Miguel
Jeanne Moncada
Sally Mtenga
Mathew Alexander Mwanyangala
Rose Nathan
Laura Packel
Julius Schachter
Kizito Shirima
Damien de Walque
In Tanzania, researchers examined whether making cash payments conditional on testing negative for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can improve safe sex practices among young adults. They found that offering cash incentives of US$20 significantly reduced STI rates after one year, although...