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International Projects
- Armenia: Enhancing Rural Living Conditions
- Burkina Faso: Improving Education for Girls
- Chile: Promoting the Well-Being of Young Children
- El Salvador: Addressing Poverty and Economic Development
- Jamaica's Safety Net Program
- Mexico: Evaluating Social Development Programs
- Niger: Impact Evaluation Design and Implementation Services
- Rwanda: Reducing Poverty Through Economic Growth
- Tanzania: Energy Sector Evaluation
- Uganda: Cost Analysis of Programs for Vulnerable Children
International Policy Research
Mathematica's depth and breadth of experience in evaluating complex social programs in the United States fill an important gap in the international arena. Our skills in designing and conducting rigorous, evidence-based evaluations of programs and policies strengthen international health, education, and development research and evaluation. We work with governments, multilateral donors, foundations, private organizations, and nonprofit partners to help them develop indicators of program impact and measure results. Our experts conduct formative research, situation assessments, policy analysis, and program evaluations, as well as help ensure capacity development in our counterparts around the world.
Poverty Reduction Programs and Related Issues
In our study of the PATH program, a conditional cash transfer program aimed at alleviating poverty and increasing human capital of poor households in Jamaica, we estimated program impacts using a regression-discontinuity design. We are designing and implementing an impact evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Account Program in Armenia, using experimental and quasi-experimental methods. The program's goal is to reduce poverty in rural areas by rehabilitating roads and agricultural infrastructure. Farmers also receive training to help them implement higher-value agricultural practices.
In Mexico, we provided technical assistance to the government on a local evaluation of a key social program, Estrategia de Microrregiones (EM). EM involves channeling resources to rural areas in need of socioeconomic development. For Habitat, a program similar to EM but focused on urban areas, we examined impacts on access to water, electrification, and sewage, using propensity-score matching methods. We found that Habitat increased access to sewage more in the intervention group that in comparison groups, but it did not have a statistically significant effect on access to drinking water or electricity.
In a study of social welfare and labor market conditions in the People’s Republic of China, our research team developed a strategy to support the successful transformation of state-owned enterprises into competitive organizations. The team developed options for restructuring systems to promote labor mobility and support downsizing. We are also evaluating government accountability and land ownership interventions in Niger. In Tanzania, we launched a rigorous evaluation of Millennium Challenge Corporation investments to increase access to electricity among rural households.
Education
Mathematica is working on a number of interventions related to education for children and youth. For example, we designed and implemented a rigorous evaluation of interventions to improve schooling for elementary-school-age girls in Burkina Faso. Using a regression discontinuity design, the study is looking at effects on school enrollment, attendance, food consumption, household livelihood, child care activities by young girls, teacher behaviors, mothers’ educational activities, parent attitudes, and resource allocation within households. We collected baseline and follow-up data from a sample of households, examined school records, and interviewed community leaders. We are also evaluating a similar intervention in Niger.
The PATH evaluation in Jamaica included impact analyses of a conditional cash transfer program on school attendance and school enrollment rates. The study found that PATH succeeded in encouraging households to send their children to school with greater regularity. We are also supporting research and evaluation related to programs for disadvantaged children and youth in Ireland and Northern Ireland and providing design support and instrument development for an early childhood initiative in Chile.
Health and Disability
Two projects for the Department of Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom (UK) examined ways to address workplace issues for people with disabilities and chronic illness. One study examined the cost of workplace accommodations for disabled people, costs and benefits to employers, worker retention, employee attitudes and morale, and challenges in recruiting and hiring. Our staff commissioned papers and produced an edited volume on this study. In addition, we were part of the consortium evaluating the Pathways program, which provides a series of mandatory supports geared to promote employment, for disabled persons in the UK. We reviewed the U.S. literature on work programs for people with disabilities, drew implications for related policies in the UK, and consulted with the team on evaluation design and analytic methods.