Marie Gaarder

Marie Gaarder
Designation: Executive Director, 3ie
Marie Gaarder is the executive director of 3ie, leading the organisation’s efforts to improve lives in low- and middle-income countries by supporting the generation and effective use of high-quality and relevant evidence to inform decision-making.

Blogs by author

Major bilateral and multilateral organizations sign 3ie-led Global Evidence Commitment

Last week, during the high-profile IDB Knowledge Week, 3ie launched the Global Evidence Commitment, an opportunity for leading international development institutions – bilaterals, multilateral development banks, international NGOs, philanthropies – to come together to improve the culture and practice of evidence use in their institutions.

15 years of 3ie: Reflecting on our contributions and the work ahead

As a mission-driven non-profit international organization, this mission remains the north star that motivates our staff, board of directors, fellows, and partners. Occasionally it is important to pause, reflect on where we are, and celebrate what we have achieved as a community. What better occasion to do so than for our 15th anniversary!

One small step for Norway, one giant leap for evidence-informed decision-making in Norwegian aid

If economists are the ‘dismal scientists’ always harping on about limited resources, evaluators are often considered the ‘pessimist scientists’ who only see the half-empty glass, rather than the half-full one. The end of the year is, however, a perfect time to break with that tradition. It is a time to reflect and appreciate progress, promising initiatives, and flickers of hope. Evidence suggests that positive reinforcement can be effective in ensuring that positive developments or behaviors are maintained.

Where next in the quest for better evidence — after this year's picks for the Nobel Prize in Economics

The buzz around this year’s Nobel Prize picks in economics continues to stimulate discussion, not least on “where next in the quest for better evidence?” The groundbreaking research by Laureates David Card, Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens has substantially improved our ability to answer key causal questions with great benefits to society. But much more needs to be done to get from conceptual advances to improved practice in evidence-informed decision-making by policymakers and program designers around the globe.

What is desirable vs. what is feasible: Producing evidence on peacebuilding programming

Measuring the impact of peacebuilding is different than measuring the impact of other types of programs. We should aim for a more evidence-based foreign policy and multilateral interventions, which might be able to propel us to new levels of global peace.