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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State of the evidence on SDGs: Five key takeaways and reflections

Zafeer Ravat , Dr Martin Bruder 12 June 2024 blog

As we crossed the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we examined the state of the evidence for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Joining forces with DEval^* – and with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) – we did a deep dive into the effectiveness evidence in our Development Evidence Portal (DEP) to unpack the trends and themes across SDGs.

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You’ve probably heard or read about generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) and its revolutionary potential. Having productive conversations with a chatbot, something that was painful (at best) until a few years ago, has now become easier because of Gen AI models that can generate coherent, meaningful output in a matter of seconds.

New 3ie handbook for measuring cost-effectiveness in impact evaluation

Jane Hammaker, Douglas Glandon, Arnab Acharya, Tanvi 04 June 2024 blog

Leaders and practitioners across the international development space have emphasized, re-emphasized, and re-re-emphasized the importance of integrating rigorous costing in

Recent and fast-growing evidence on sustainable energy interventions, but gaps remain

Constanza Gonzalez Parrao, Cem Yavuz, Zafeer Ravat 20 May 2024 blog

Progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 – to ensure universal access to energy and clean cooking, the adoption of renewables and an increase in energy efficiency – has been mixed. While electricity access has improved in select countries, clean cooking remains a prevalent issue for one in three people globally.

3ie's living Food Systems Evidence and Gap Map: Now expanded with social assistance and social insurance interventions

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A roadmap for more TRIPS on the evidence journey

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In October 2023, 3ie created the Global Evidence Commitment, a statement signed by seven leading international development institutions to date to improve their organizational use of rigorous evidence in decision-making. Today, we offer thoughts on the levers these and likeminded organizations can use to improve their culture of evidence use. We call this the TRIPS Framework.

Assessing the effectiveness of food security and nutrition interventions on gender transformative outcomes

Etienne Lwamba, Kishore Basak, Ashiqun Nabi, Pierre Marion, Ingunn Storhaug 16 April 2024 blog

In 2023, 735 million individuals worldwide experienced hunger, and 258 million people across 58 countries and territories faced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels. With 60% of them comprising women, the gender gap in food insecurity continues to widen.

How should evaluators respond to a changing global landscape? Ideas from the World Bank IEG's expert panel

Paul Thissen, Marie Gaarder 15 April 2024 blog

To respond to a rapidly-changing global context, the evaluation community needs to adapt its methods and approaches, according to an expert panel assembled by the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG).

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

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Teaching critical thinking about health: impacts and implications

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Claims about what might improve or harm our health are everywhere. Some of these claims are reliable, but many are not. People often don’t know how to tell the difference. Making decisions based on unreliable claims wastes resources and can result in unnecessary suffering. This problem was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was accompanied by an “infodemic”— an overload of information, including false or misleading information.

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.