The evidence-to-policy conundrum and how to solve it

Does better evidence lead to better policies and programs? Massive amounts of reliable evidence, drawing on scientifically strong methods, including randomized controlled trials, mixed-methods approaches, and more, have been generated and disseminated in recent decades. A Nobel Prize has been awarded for that pathbreaking work. Yet the impact of that evidence – on what policymakers and program implementers think and do – has been far below expectations, even pitifully tiny according to some accounts. billion people.

Insights from the Development Evidence Portal – the Middle East and North Africa

Our latest piece in the ‘state of the evidence’ series – which interprets data by unpacking the studies in our Development Evidence Portal (DEP) – focuses on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. . The DEP currently includes 740 impact evaluations (IE) and 352 systematic reviews (SR) from the region, which is the second smallest amongst regions containing low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs). Interested readers are encouraged to further explore the DEP for additional data not covered in this blog.

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Latest blogs

Opportunities, challenges, and strategies for evidence production and use in the COVID era: 3ie’s expert panel weighs in

Paul Thissen 08 May 2020 blog

Evidence is already playing a key role in shaping our responses to COVID-19. But at the same time that the pandemic creates opportunities to broaden evidence use, it also raises numerous challenges for those working to collect, analyse, and synthesize data.

Securing and building peaceful societies: Where is the evidence and where is it missing?

Marion Krämer, Birte Snilstveit, Ada Sonnenfeld 05 May 2020 blog

It has been estimated that over 1.8 billion people, close to a quarter of the world’s population, live in fragile contexts (OECD, 2018). Given the current Covid-19 pandemic, it is likely that this number might rapidly increase, with unequal access to health services, decent jobs, and safe housing leading to growing mistrust and social unrest. Interventions that tackle the underlying causes of conflict and fragility – along with immediate responses to the pandemic – are therefore more relevant than ever.

What do we know about what works to increase routine vaccination coverage?

Mark Engelbert 28 April 2020 blog

World Immunisation Week 2020 has arrived, and vaccinations are on a lot of people’s minds at the moment, with everyone wondering when/if a vaccine against COVID-19 will be available.

How to improve the performance of community health workers

Paul Thissen 21 April 2020 blog

In many interventions to improve health outcomes, community health workers (CHWs) play a pivotal role. We've recently written about two such types of interventions: efforts to improve sanitation practices and campaigns to increase vaccination rates

What works to improve vaccination rates in low- and middle-income countries?

Paul Thissen 14 April 2020 blog

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are sickened from diseases from which they could have been protected if they had been vaccinated. In some low-income countries, less than half of children receive even the most widely-distributed vaccines, like the one for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. So what strategies are effective at raising vaccination rates in low- and middle-income countries?

Phone surveys in developing countries need an abundance of caution

Subha Mani, Bidisha Barooah 09 April 2020 blog

Subha Mani and Bidisha Barooah write about the need for researchers to exercise an abundance of caution before conducting phone surveys to collect data during this global pandemic. In this blog, they discuss some of the risks that survey respondents might face and offer suggestions on how researchers could mitigate them.

How to get people to wash their hands

Paul Thissen 26 March 2020 blog

If you've been following international news recently, you've likely been inundated with the message: ‘Wash your hands!’ But not everyone is tuned in to public health messages, nor is such information always effectively communicated to vulnerable communities.

Access is not the same as use: tackling behavioural barriers to the use of new resources

Charlotte Lane 22 March 2020 blog

On World Water Day, 3ie’s Charlotte Lane provides an overview of the Indian government’s ongoing efforts to provide access to clean water and adequate sanitation and makes a stroeg case for an equal effort to address the behavioral barriers to the use of these new resources.

Empowering women through National Rural Livelihoods Mission

Ritwik Sarkar, Zeba Siddiqui 08 March 2020 blog

Neelima Devi*, a 35-year-old Self Help Group (SHG) member, aspires to start an eatery with her husband in their village. She was one the many women we had met during our field visits to Jharkhand and Maharashtra in 2019.

Empowering women through Self-Help Groups: Evidence of effectiveness, questions of scale

Thomas de Hoop, Stuti Tripathi 08 March 2020 blog

Since the 1980s, India has invested significantly in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and other women’s groups to improve gender equality and women’s empowerment.

About

Evidence Matters is 3ie’s blog. It primarily features contributions from staff and board members. Guest blogs are by invitation.

3ie publishes blogs in the form received from the authors. Any errors or omissions are the sole responsibility of the authors. Views expressed are their own and do not represent the opinions of 3ie, its board of commissioners or supporters.