Thematic Areas
The Egypt Impact Lab collaborates closely with government partners and development actors to design and scale evidence-based solutions across four priority areas: social protection and poverty alleviation, education, employment, and MSME development, gender empowerment and family development, and environment, energy, and climate change (Led by HAPIE).
Social protection and poverty alleviation
EIL will have a major focus on the Hayah Karima Initiative, a multidimensional poverty alleviation program. It will also support MoSS’s existing commitments to evidence-informed social solidarity policy.
Education, employment, and MSME development
Employment remains at the top of development challenges and policy priorities for the Government of Egypt, and is a key component in the country’s strategies to reduce poverty and inequality.
Gender empowerment and family planning
EIL focuses on the National Family Development Program to curb population growth and support healthy families, and other efforts to promote women’s empowerment.
Learn more
Environment, energy, and climate change
EIL is introducing the Hub of Advanced Policy Innovation for the Environment (HAPIE), which serves as J-PAL’s regional Air and Water Lab in Egypt, and focuses on supporting climate change policies and strategies for the Government of Egypt.
Partners:
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| National Organization for Social Insurance | Ministry of Social Solidarity |
Projects:
Debtors’ Prison (“Gharimeen”)
In partnership with NGOs and microfinance institutions, the Egypt Impact Lab (EIL) aims to assess the social costs and financial implications of debtor imprisonment in Egypt. By working with NGOs that pay off debts to release or prevent the imprisonment of debtors, the project estimates the impacts on debtors’ and their families’ lives—including employment, income, and well-being—particularly for low-income and marginalized groups, including women.
In parallel, another study with a microlender tests the effects of removing imprisonment threats on credit market behavior, addressing moral hazard concerns. These findings aim to generate empirical evidence to inform policy debates on abolishing debtor prisons, improving financial inclusion, and shaping evidence-based policies to support vulnerable populations. Learn more
Projects in the pipeline:
Social insurance take-up among informal workers
In partnership with the National Organization of Social Insurance, the Egypt Impact Lab aims to evaluate strategies to increase enrollment and improve coverage among this vulnerable population.
Partners:
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| Ministry of Education and Technical Education | Central Bank of Egypt | Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) |
Projects:
Technical education reform
In partnership with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, the Egypt Impact Lab is evaluating how social perception and marriage preferences influence vocational education and career choices with students in technical education schools. The study explores both first-order beliefs—what students and parents personally think about technical education—and second-order beliefs—what they believe others in their community think—which together shape attitudes and decisions.
Irregular migration
This ongoing J-PAL MENA study is a 5-year partnership with the European Union Emergency Trust Fund and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agenda, focused on supporting and investigating the relationship between employability and migration aspirations and decisions. The project received additional funding from EIL’s second RFP round. The study aims to assess the impact of a cash-for-work program and comprehensive training programs in Egyptian governorates with the highest outflows of irregular migrants on participants’ attitudes towards irregular migration. Learn more.
School Bank Project
In partnership with the Central Bank of Egypt, the Egypt Impact Lab aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the School Bank Project's financial literacy training in influencing students' behavior, primarily through identifying how students exhibit responsible financial behaviors.
Partners:
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| National Council for Women | Ministry of Social Solidarity | UHIA |
Projects:
Digital Village Saving and Lending Accounts (“Tahweesha Program”)
In partnership with the National Council for Women, the Egypt Impact Lab aims to understand how digital-only savings groups impact women's livelihoods in rural communities in Egypt.
Nursery quality and early childhood development
In partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, J-PAL MENA is evaluating the impact of improving nursery quality on women’s employment and early childhood development (ECD) in Egypt. The evaluation includes a holistic package of interventions: nursery renovations and teacher training implemented by MoSS; a series of 12 sessions for women on social norms, ECD awareness, and livelihoods, delivered by the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development’s education sector in collaboration with UNICEF; and the distribution of food boxes by the Egyptian Food Bank to improve child nutrition and reduce time burdens on women. This second phase of the evaluation builds on earlier research and has received additional funding and support from the Egypt Impact Lab (EIL). Read more about women’s agency.
Projects in the pipeline:
The Universal Health Insurance System
In partnership with the Universal Health Insurance Authority, the Egypt Impact Lab explores opportunities for rigorous impact evaluation to inform policy decisions around informal workers' inclusion and private sector engagement. This collaboration aims to generate actionable insights that strengthen Egypt’s health financing reforms and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable healthcare system. Learn more.