CIG’s Partner J-PAL South Asia Shares Journey in Supporting Governments

Our team at the Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG) was delighted to meet with our partner, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab South Asia (J-PAL South Asia), to learn more about their work with governments. Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director; and Senior Policy Manager, Gautam Patel from J-PAL South Asia visited our office, and shared their current projects and future aspirations.

A global research centre, J-PAL has been working to lessen poverty by ensuring government policies are backed by scientific evidence. With a network of 181 affiliated professors from universities around the globe, J-PAL runs randomised impact evaluations to assess the value of government policies and programmes.

In India, J-PAL South Asia manages customised randomised evaluations, evidence-informed policy making and scale up of effective programs with partners. To date, they have supported governments in the states of Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, supporting governments in the use of data and evidence to design better policies. Beyond India, J-PAL South Asia also has partnerships and projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Increasingly, J-PAL is building stronger links with government leaders, and engaging public officials more holistically. We are excited to be supporting and partnering J-PAL South Asia on this meaningful journey, and to understand how their goals align closely with CIG’s mission to develop government capabilities. We look forward to growing this partnership, for instance through the co-development and delivery of government training programmes and other initiatives.

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