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 84

Innovation, Inclusion and Trust: The Role of Non-Profit Organizations in Microfinance

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Last Updated:
January 22, 2014
If microcredit, as traditionally implemented, is being done just as well by for-profits, where to for non-profits? Dean Karlan lays out three important roles that non-profits can play in the financial inclusion arena.

Truth-Telling in Third-Party Audits

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Last Updated:
October 9, 2013
Changing the market for environmental audits to incentivize accurate reporting in Gujarat, India made auditors more likely to report the truth about industrial plants’ pollution levels. In response, industrial plants polluted less.
A young adult repairs a desktop computer.

Job Placement and Displacement

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Last Updated:
April 1, 2013
Career counseling for young, college-educated job seekers in France helped them find work sooner, but this improvement came at the expense of jobs for those who did not receive counseling, and it did not translate into a long-term increase in employment rates.

Cleaner Water at the Source

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Last Updated:
September 1, 2012
Protecting naturally occurring springs with simple infrastructure significantly improved source water quality and reduced the incidence of diarrhea in young children by one-quarter.

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.