The Promise of an Evidence-Informed Future
Carson Christiano (CEGA Executive Director) reflects on the progress made by the evidence-informed policy movement and outlines three ways that CEGA will contribute to global development goals in 2023.
Three years and one global pandemic since Duflo, Banerjee, and Kremer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for their “experimental approach to fighting poverty,” it’s easy to forget how far this movement has come. From some of the earliest applications of the RCT design to development economics in the 90s to the 2006 Center for Global Development report on the need for more impact evaluation, all of us laboring in this space have long sought to apply the full force of evidence on the global fight against poverty.
And it is working. Many funders now prioritize impact over outcomes. Governments are scaling interventions based on evidence. Poverty is falling. (While we know COVID-19 interrupted this progress, early estimates from the World Bank suggest that we are once again making inroads.)
Yet, despite the growing role of evidence in global development over the past two decades, serious gaps remain in our collective understanding about how best to address the complex and multifaceted problems of poverty.
CEGA works to close these gaps by co-creating innovative research that public, private, and non-profit partners can use to design more cost-effective programs and better allocate scarce resources. We invest in new types of data, partnerships, and analytical approaches. We draw on ideas, methods, and insights from a wide range of academic disciplines. And, importantly, we promote the inclusion of underrepresented scholars — especially those from the countries and regions where we work — every step of the way.
As we enter 2023, here are three ways that CEGA will gain ground in the fight against global poverty.
1. Invest in new research programs related to Conflict, Displacement, and Gender
Today, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) carry an outsized burden of conflict and displacement, with 80 percent of the world’s poorest (a disproportionate number of whom are women) estimated to live in fragile states by 2030. Unfortunately, scant evidence exists that can inform strategy. In 2023, we will work to build new portfolios of research on conflict, forced displacement, and gender and agency — priority topics for decision makers who seek the knowledge and tools to respond to today’s compounding crises. Discover our new Gender portfolio.
2. Expand our focus on Data Science for Development (DS4D)
A core pillar of CEGA’s work is to make evidence better by improving the quality, relevance, and credibility of research findings. This year, CEGA will expand the scope and reach of our DS4D portfolio by seeding frontier research that leverages new data and data science approaches and by catalyzing relevant learning, mentorship, and early career opportunities for researchers and partners, especially those based in LMICs. The goal? Leverage innovation to ensure that development benefits and opportunities are equitably distributed. Read more about our DSD4 portfolio.
3. Accelerate the inclusion of LMIC scholars and partners in global development research
Investing in local research talent is key to catalyzing evidence-informed policy change around the world. It’s the smart thing to do. It’s also the right thing to do. CEGA strives to make evidence more inclusive by supporting research that involves — and is led by — LMIC scholars, women, and other underrepresented groups. Over the next twelve months, we will expand our capacity-building activities and pursue a greater role in shaping the larger research agenda. Learn more about this work.
Over the last few years, it often felt as though the global community pinwheeled from one crisis to another, stuck in an ever-growing cycle of calamity. COVID-19 sharply reversed progress against poverty and the war in Ukraine has eroded humanitarian conditions worldwide. More than ever, we face overlapping challenges and with a toolbox seemingly stocked in the last century.
Evidence is changing that. We now know how to reduce deaths from diarrheal disease, increase crop yields and lessen malnutrition, and help people break cycles of poverty. In fact, living conditions are, on average, better than ever before. We can thank researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders of the evidence-informed policy movement for this progress.
To be clear, millions still confront the devastating effects of poverty and conflict daily and time is running out to address climate change. But a more equitable and sustainable world is possible. This urgency — and this belief — is what motivates CEGA to generate rigorous, inclusive, and transparent research that improves the lives of people living in poverty.
And we do it with pride, knowing we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.
