3ie at Niti Aayog Conference: Strengthening pathways from evidence to action
Research evidence can be used by decision-makers to inform programs or any stage during the policy process. To improve the chances that this happens, it is critical to understand the factors that facilitate or limit evidence-informed decision-making. This 3ie led panel ‘Strengthening pathways from evidence to action’ shared lessons learned from promoting the use of evidence in low- and middle-income countries and threw light on how monitoring and evaluation (M&E) results and research evidence get translated to action and impact. We also made a presentation using our recently-launched portal of Evidence Impact Summaries to showcase how different decision-makers have used research evidence and the factors that may contribute to or constrain evidence use.
The session was held as part of the National Conference on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning: Institutionalizing M&E Practices for Sustainable Impact organized by Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), India’s apex monitoring and evaluation office, attached to the Niti Aayog.
Time: 15:30 – 16:45 (IST)
Moderator: Marie Gaarder, Executive Director, 3ie
Speaker: Kirthi Rao, Evidence Impact Specialist, 3ie
Presentation on From evidence to action: lessons from 3ie’s work
Panellists
- Samik Sundar Das, Senior Rural Development Specialist, World Bank
- S Krishnan, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Tamil Nadu
- Suneeta Krishnan, India Country Office Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning & Management, Evaluation
- Emmanuel (Manny) Jimenez, Senior Fellow, 3ie
Speaker bios
Samik Sundar Das, Senior Rural Development Specialist, World Bank
Das is the senior rural development specialist at the World Bank. He is an experienced professional who has worked for around two decades with government line ministries, civil society organizations and private foundations in the areas of community-driven development, human resource development, community-based skilling and micro-business promotion. He has contributed extensively towards the preparation and implementation of largescale rural development programs.
S Krishnan, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Tamil Nadu
S. Krishnan is the Additional Chief Secretary, Finance and holds full additional charge as the Managing Director of the New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Limited. With a service record of more than 25 years, Mr. Krishnan served as the Senior Advisor in the Office of the Executive Director for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan of the International Monetary Fund (Washington DC), representing the Government of India in the G20 Expert Groups on International Financial Architecture and Global Financial Safety Nets.
Suneeta Krishnan, Country Lead, Measurement, Learning and Evaluation at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Suneeta Krishnan is the India Country Lead, Measurement, Learning and Evaluation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her team is responsible for grantmaking to inform and evaluate the foundation’s investments in support of India’s health and development goals and to enhance the national evaluation ecosystem. Krishnan is a social epidemiologist with 20 years of experience conducting research and engaging policymakers on health and social equity in India.
Emmanuel (Manny) Jimenez, Senior Fellow, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
Emmanuel (Manny) Jimenez is an economist who is currently a non-resident Senior Research Fellow at 3ie. Most recently, after five years Manny stepped down as 3ie’s executive director in January 2020. Prior to this, he spent several years at the World Bank Group where he provided technical expertise and strategic leadership in a number of research and operational positions, including as director of the bank’s operational program in human development in its Asia regions from 2000-2012 and as director of public sector evaluations from 2012- 2014.
Marie Gaarder, Executive Director, 3ie (Moderator)
Marie Gaarder is executive director of 3ie, leading the organization’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. Gaarder has over 20 years of experience managing operational and research projects with a development focus. Her prior positions include manager in the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group, director of the evaluation department at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, and senior social development economist at the Inter-American Development Bank.
Kirthi Rao, Evidence Impact Specialist, 3ie
Kirthi Rao is an Evidence Impact Specialist at 3ie. She is responsible for monitoring, analysing and reporting on the impact of evidence from 3ie-funded studies. She also contributes to 3ie's projects to improve tools and processes for strengthening evidence impact and its measurement. Prior to this, she worked with Collaborative Research and Development as a researcher on studies relating to inclusive education. Kirthi holds an MA in Urban Policy and Governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, a post-graduate diploma in print journalism from the Asian College of Journalism and a BA in Economics from the University of Delhi.