J-Pal South Asia Launches Governance Unit

Governance Opportunities and Challenges in India

India has had remarkable achievements in economic growth and development in the last 25 years, reaching middle-income status, and substantially reducing poverty. Despite the country’s burgeoning growth and rapidly rising middle class, more can be done to improve the design and delivery of public policies to its 1.3 billion people.

J-PAL South Asia in India

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research programme that supports the use of research and scientific evidence to make better public policies. J-PAL runs and promotes the use of randomized evaluations to rigorously test the effectiveness of programmes and policies. With this evidence, J-PAL works directly with policymakers to scale-up the most cost-effective programs; these scale-ups have improved the lives of more than 300 million people worldwide.

J-PAL South Asia has been collaborating with governments in India to improve their effectiveness by supporting them in adopting an evidence-informed approach to policymaking. Their work began over a decade ago, and over time, they strategically increased their work with government partners to evaluate and scale up larger policies and build institutional partnerships that impact the lives of millions of people.

"J-PAL South Asia has been collaborating with governments in India to improve their effectiveness by supporting them in adopting an evidence-informed approach to policymaking."

Governance Unit

In March 2019, J-PAL South Asia launched a Governance Unit. The unit will strengthen how they understand, inform, and partner with governments in India. This will help set in place mechanisms – using technology, accountability, and better execution – to strengthen governance in India. The Chandler Institute of Governance supported the unit’s launch, and will be providing support to J-PAL South Asia on the unit’s ongoing work. Launching a governance unit that provides specialised support to governments and policymakers will allow J-PAL South Asia to make measurable progress towards improving lives through equipping leaders to adopt an evidence-informed approach to policymaking.