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 1-4 of 4

Make It Rain

Last Updated:
Last Updated:
February 9, 2016
Weather index insurance protects farmers against losses from extreme weather and facilitates investment in their farms, but randomized evaluations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have shown low demand for these products at market prices, suggesting the need for alternative approaches.

Resilient Rice

Last Updated:
Last Updated:
August 31, 2015
Flood-tolerant rice reduced risk for smallholder farmers in Odisha, India and encouraged additional investment in their farms, resulting in substantially increased yields in both flood and non-flood years.

A Well-Timed Nudge

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

Fingerprinting to Reduce Risky Borrowing

Last Updated:
Last Updated:
July 26, 2011
Introducing fingerprinting identification for microloans caused high-risk borrowers to take out smaller loans and to improve their repayment behavior.