In India, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, a network of researchers who run randomized control trials based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is working with the Tamil Nadu government to integrate findings from RCTs into the policymaking design phase — a collaborative approach which evolved from J-PAL’s existing evaluation programs there.
The venture signals the first time the government is systematically integrating RCTs in evaluating the impact of programs across departments and designing central policies, a departure from the traditional role of RCTs as tests for individual program evaluations.
“This is cutting edge. Five years ago, we were partnering more with [nongovernmental organizations], and now governments are investing in centralizing RCTs as a tool to learn what works in social programs,” John Floretta, deputy director at J-PAL South Asia, told Devex from India.
About the author
Claire Luke
Claire is a journalist passionate about all things development, with a particular interest in labor, having worked previously for the Indonesia-based International Labor Organization. She has experience reporting in Cambodia, Nicaragua and Burma, and is happy to be immersed in the action of D.C. Claire is a master's candidate in development economics at the George Washington Elliott School of International Affairs and received her bachelor's degree in political philosophy from the College of the Holy Cross.
