Building a Policy Lab with the Spanish Ministry of Social Inclusion
In May 2020, the Government of Spain launched a national minimum income scheme (IMV, igreso mínimo vital), a cash transfer programme targeting households at risk of experiencing social exclusion and poverty. Recognising that other kinds of social inclusion programming can potentially play an important complementary role in helping households exit poverty, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration (MISSM) directed part of Spain’s Covid-19 NextGenerationEU Recovery Plan funds to the implementation of innovative social inclusion programmes aiming to complement or extend the effects of the minimum income scheme.
Establishing a Policy Lab for social inclusion
To better understand the effectiveness of these policies, the government has committed to evaluating these programmes through a series of randomised evaluations, which will provide rigorous insights to inform social policy in Spain at both the national and regional levels. The lessons will also contribute to a growing evidence base on designing more effective social programmes across Europe.
J-PAL Europe has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry’s Secretariat General for Inclusion Goals and Policies and Social Welfare (SGOPIPS, by its Spanish acronym). It has seconded a member of our team to work with the Ministry in advising on evidence generation and use and to provide capacity-building geared towards institutionalizing a culture of evidence use.
Co-creating and using evidence
Together with a team of 17 Spanish and international researchers coordinated by the Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros (CEMFI), J-PAL Europe is providing technical assistance on the evaluation design of 34 randomised evaluations of pilot social inclusion programmes that target beneficiaries of the minimum income.
These programmes, implemented by Spain’s regional and local governments and NGOs, include measures such as providing beneficiaries with job search support and apprenticeship training, free childcare for parents, tailored tutoring for their children, or assistance for families who may be entitled to social benefits which they do not yet claim.
The rigorous insights generated from these evaluations will help inform each partners’ programming and contribute to a growing evidence base on designing more effective social programs across Europe.
The Team
J-PAL Europe has a dedicated staff presence to support the work of the Ministry and partners. For more information, contact Ana Garciá-Hernández.
Government
Secretariat General for Inclusion Goals and Policies and Social Welfare (SGOPIPS) at the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration (MISSM).
- General Sub-directorate of Objectives and Inclusion Indicators
- Ana Isabel Guzmán de Torres
- Begoña Varela Merino
- María Calle García
- Jesús Prado Mascuñano
- Ana Álvarez Sánchez
- Ana Revilla Trujillo
- General Subdirectorate of Inclusion Policies
- Esther María Pérez Quintana
- María Henar López Arce
- María Amor González Redondo
- Raquel Vidal Martínez
- Luis Fullea Carrera
Implementing Partners
- NGOs and SCOs
- Confederación Plena Inclusión España
- Fundación Save the Children
- Cáritas Española(Project 1 and 2)
- Fundación Red de Apoyo a la Integración Sociolaboral
- Fundación Secretariado Gitano
- Red Europea de Lucha contra la Pobreza y la Exclusión Social en el Estado Español (EAPN-ES)
- Fundació Jaume Bofill
- Red Europea de Lucha contra la Pobreza y la Exclusión Social de Canarias
- Fundació Catalana de l'Esplai
- Cruz Roja Española
- Fundación la Caixa
- Fundación Ayuda en Acción
- Fundación Cepaim Acción Integral con Migrantes
- Regional and local governments
- Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía
- Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón
- Principado de Asturias
- Junta de Comunidades de Castilla- La Mancha
- Generalitat de Catalunya
- Comunitat Valenciana
- Comunidad Autónoma de Extremadura
- Xunta de Galicia
- Comunidad de Madrid
- Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia
- Comunidad Foral de Navarra
- Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco
- Comunidad Autónoma de La Rioja
- Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta
- Comunidad Valenciana
- Comunidad Foral de Navarra
- Ayuntamiento de Barcelona
- Ayuntamiento de Madrid
- Ayuntamiento de Sevilla
- Ayuntamiento de Santander
Researchers
CEMFI is leading a group of researchers providing technical assistance to the project based on their expertise in experimental methods and policy evaluation.
Mónica Martinez-Bravo (CEMFI; J-PAL affiliate) and Samuel Bentolila (CEMFI) are coordinating and leading the group. Other researchers participating in the project are:
- Miguel Almunia (CUNEF and J-PAL Europe invited researcher)
- Manuel Bagues (Warwick University and J-PAL affiliate researcher)
- Antonio Cabrales (Carlos III University)
- Guillermo Caruana (CEMFI)
- Yanina Domenella (CEMFI)
- Yarine Fawaz (CEMFI)
- Ana García-Hernández (J-PAL Europe)
- Verónica Gonzales (ESADE)
- María Hernández de Benito (University of Alicante)
- Laura Hospido (Bank of Spain)
- Lajos Kossuth (CEMFI)
- Warn Lekfuangfu (Carlos III University)
- Teresa Molina (University of Alicante and J-PAL Europe invited researcher)
- Pedro Rey-Biel (ESADE and J-PAL Europe invited researcher)
- Carlos Sanz (Bank of Spain)
- Tom Zohar (CEMFI)
Promoting a culture of evidence based policy
In July 2022, MISSM, CEMFI and J-PAL Europe co-organised an event to mark the launch of the Policy Lab in Madrid. J-PAL Europe Scientific Director Abhijit Banerjee delivered a keynote lecture about using evidence-based policies in Europe after discussing the topic in a public dialogue with the Prime Minister of Spain, Mr. Pedro Sánchez.
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