Massachusetts Institute of Technology
For Impact Evaluations Of Programs To Improve Governance In Developing Countries
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Amount$2,000,000
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Program
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Date Awarded3/22/2011
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Term36 Months
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Type of SupportProject
Overview
A grant to the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would support the rollout of J-PAL's Governance Initiative to sponsor randomized impact evaluations of governance programs, including those designed to reduce the leakage of public funds in service delivery. A core grantee for the Global Development Program, J-PAL teaches researchers and policymakers how to conduct rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness of specific development interventions and how to use the findings to set the direction of program design and funding. The Initiative will complement J-PAL's broader research agenda, which produces evidence to improve the delivery of public services such as education and health. By addressing the governance challenges that can undermine the achievement of any development goals, the Initiative will help ensure that resources are used more effectively and sustainably. J-PAL anticipates generating initial findings from approximately ten new studies during this three-year start-up phase. By reporting its findings to policymakers and providing support for the expansion and replication of successful governance programs, the Initiative will help translate this evidence into changes in policy.
About the Grantee
Grantee Website
www.mit.edu
Address
77 Massachusetts Avenue 26-237, Cambridge, MA, 02139-4307, United States
Grants to this Grantee
for J-PAL’s core efforts to reduce poverty by informing policy and practice with evidence
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was founded on the belief that anti-poverty programs can be made more effective — thus creating positive change in the lives of the poor — if policymakers have access to rigorous scientific evidence on what works and the capacities to apply it. J-PAL pursues three goals: (a) developing the capacity of researchers (including those from low- and middle-income countries) to lead randomized impact evaluations; (b) generating evidence through randomized evaluations that respond to pressing policy problems; and (c) promoting the systematic use and adaptation of evidence in informing policy windows and decision-making processes through tailored synthesis, targeted outreach, and technical assistance. These broad goals lay the foundation for achieving J-PAL's ultimate objective, which aligns with our Evidence-Informed Policymaking strategy: to improve the lives of the poor globally by closing the gap between research, policy, and practice.
for a joint position in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Economics
The mission of the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing is to address the opportunities and challenges of the computing age — from hardware to software to algorithms to artificial intelligence — by transforming the capabilities of academia in the three key areas: computing fields, computing across disciplines, and social and ethical aspects of computing. This grant supports a dual position in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Economics at MIT, with the goal of catalyzing the integration of behavioral science into computer science.
