Evaluations

Policy Publications

Search our database of policy briefcases, bulletins, and evidence reviews. Briefcases summarize the results and policy recommendations from one randomized evaluation, while bulletins synthesize the broader policy lessons emerging from multiple evaluations on the same topic. Evidence reviews summarize an existing academic literature review, like a handbook chapter or white paper, for a policy audience.

Displaying 64-72 of 80

Up in Smoke

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Last Updated:
July 1, 2012
In Odisha, India improved cooking stoves did not reduce smoke exposure, improve health, or reduce fuel usage of recipients because they were not used regularly and recipients did not invest to maintain them properly.

Booked for Learning

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Last Updated:
June 1, 2012
A month-long classroom “Read-A-Thon” program improved children’s reading habits and skills in the Philippines.

Giving the People What They Want

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Last Updated:
May 1, 2012
Choosing local infrastructure projects by direct election, rather than through representatives, had a small effect on the types of projects selected but a large impact on citizen satisfaction in Indonesia.

Raising Female Leaders

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Last Updated:
April 1, 2012
A quota system for female village leaders in India changed perceptions of women’s abilities, improved women’s electoral chances, and raised aspirations and educational attainment for adolescent girls.

A Balancing ACT

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Last Updated:
January 1, 2012
A retail-sector subsidy for effective antimalarials in Kenya greatly increased access among the most vulnerable, but design matters: finding the right price and providing diagnostic tests are important tools for limiting unnecessary treatment.

Latest Findings from Randomized Evaluations of Microfinance

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Last Updated:
December 1, 2011
Recent evidence from randomized studies of microfinance indicate that poor people face various limits in their ability to capitalize on financial opportunities. Product design matters, and inexpensive design tweaks may help the poor to benefit more from financial products and services.

Incentives for Immunization

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Last Updated:
October 31, 2011
Small incentives for parents, coupled with reliable services at convenient mobile clinics, increased full immunization rates sixfold. This approach was twice as cost-effective as improving service reliability without incentives.

A Well-Timed Nudge

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Last Updated:
October 1, 2011
Enabling farmers to prepay for fertilizer when they had cash on hand was effective in promoting fertilizer adoption.

Know Your Status?

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Last Updated:
August 31, 2011
Even very small incentives can encourage people to return for their HIV test results. However, for most people, learning status did not substantially change the number of condoms they purchased.