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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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...
Modern classroom with engineering students.

Biased Beliefs and the Dynamic Role of Information in College Choice in Chile

Claudia Allende
Researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation in Chile to study the impact of altering high school students’ beliefs about the returns of college degrees on their decisions to invest in college preparation and which program they choose.
Three elementary school students.

Involving Parents in their Children's Education in Chile

Francisco Gallego
Can a multi-dimensional program enhance parental involvement and student outcomes? A program implemented in low-income public elementary schools led to improved parental involvement and improved relationships between parents, students, and teachers.
A voting box with ballots to the left, text on the top of the image reads "Denuncie Delitos Electorales"

The Impact of Citizen Monitoring on the 2019 Mayoral Elections in Colombia

Natalia Garbiras-Diaz
Mateo Montenegro
Researchers evaluated the impact of encouraging citizen monitoring on the 2019 mayoral elections in Colombia. The intervention resulted in higher reports from citizens and a reduction in observed irregularities in the election.
woman wearing graduation outfit

Financial Aid and College Access in the Dominican Republic

Juan Ariel Jimenez
Christopher Neilson
Sebastián Otero
Underprivileged students in the Dominican Republic face a series of barriers to access post-secondary education. Despite existing scholarship programs, application rates for financial aid offered by the government are extremely low, and poor and rural students are much less likely to apply for and...
Group of participants at CNM conference

Informing Policy with Research in Brazil

Jonas Hjort
Diana Moreira
Gautam Rao
Juan Francisco Santini
Researchers partnered with the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM) in Brazil to evaluate the impact of access to research results on policymakers’ demand for research findings and interest in adopting evidence-informed policies. Policymakers were willing to pay for research findings and...
houses in Medellín, Colombia

Contesting Criminal Gang Governance in Medellin: The Impacts of Intensive Municipal Governance and Community Organization on Gang Control and Governing of Neighborhoods

Chris Blattman
Gustavo Duncan
Benjamin Lessing
Santiago Tobón
In partnership with the City of Medellín, researchers randomly introduced a program that intensified government outreach to gang-controlled neighborhoods. The study found no evidence that the city’s intervention reduced gang rule.
A stack of case files in a room full of files.

Impact of Customized Information and Mediation on Labor Court Settlement Rates in Mexico

Joyce Sadka
Christopher Woodruff
Researchers conducted two randomized evaluations to test the impacts of providing customized information on predicted case outcomes or conciliation services on labor court settlement rates in Mexico. Both interventions nearly doubled the immediate settlement rate, but only when the plaintiff was...