EV-LABS

Integrating evidence into policy design for real impact

What is an Ev-Lab?

The Ev-Labs are teams within government ministries that support

agencies in designing programs that are informed by scientific
evidence and scaling up what works in a systematic way. They
provide policymakers and academics with the space to work
collaboratively to identify pressing questions and propose highimpact, innovative solutions.
Why are Ev-Labs important?

Evidence from rigorous impact evaluations of social programs allows

governments to test new ideas and redesign ongoing programs
to see if they are effective. We believe that if policymakers
had better access to this evidence, they would use it
to identify and implement the programs that have the
greatest impact at the lowest cost.
However, many reasons may prevent governments from producing
and using evidence. For instance, they have long-term social
challenges but face short-term restrictions to tackle them.
Therefore, they constantly face the choice between allocating

MANAGING
THE LEARNING
PROCESS

Phase 3
Sharing insights and using the
evidence in future decisions

resources to program implementation (the doing) or program

evaluation (the learning).
J-PAL LAC designed an innovative Learning Cycle to help policy
makers to overcome the conflict between doing and learning,
and this cycle is the heart of every Ev-Lab.
What is a Learning Cycle?

A Learning Cycle is a factory that incubates and evaluates new

ideas, allowing governments to design evidence-informed programs
and scale up what works. Every new program or idea should go
through the phases of the Learning Cycle. J-PAL LAC helps build
the capacity for the local team to run these cycles on their own.
This period of technical assistance from J-PAL LAC is called the
implementation period.
These cycles vary from ministry to ministry, as they are tailored
to existing policy design processes. J-PAL LAC engages with
ministries for one complete Learning Cycle which has
three overarching phases: Diagnosis, Evaluation, and
Managing the Learning Process (see figure below).
IDEA FOR A
NEW PROGRAM

Phase 1
Identification and
diagnosis of the problem

Phase 3
Scaling effective
programs

DIAGNOSIS

Phase 2
Analysis of
the results

LEARNING
CYCLE

Phase 1
Review of
existing evidence

Phase 2
Program and
evaluation design

Phase 2
Implementation

EVALUATION

PHASE 1: Diagnosis
Identifying and Diagnosing the Problem

J-PAL LAC supports the Ev- Lab team in identifying innovative solutions to relevant social problems or existing programs that should
be tested. This is followed by a review of evidence in order to determine whether existing research indicates that the proposed program
could work. If no evidence is found, then further research is needed to make an evidence-informed policy decision, and J-PAL helps find
an affiliated professor interested in evaluating the programs impact.
PHASE 2: Evaluation
Evaluating, Designing, Implementing, and Analyzing

This phase begins with designing the pilot of the program and its evaluation. The government is responsible for implementing the pilot
of the program and collecting the data necessary for the evaluation, with technical assistance from J-PAL LAC staff. J-PALs affiliated
professors analyze this data and draw conclusions about the programs impact and policy lessons.
PHASE 3: Managing the Learning Process
Sharing Insights and Scaling Effective Programs

The results help generate policy recommendations and inform key decisions:
If the evaluation shows that the program had a positive impact, the cycle can lead to scaling up the pilot program.
If the evaluation shows that the program did not have the expected results, the next step is either to redesign or scale down the program.
If necessary, the redesigned program may go through another round of incubation and evaluation (Phases 1 & 2).
What is J-PAL LACs role in Ev-Labs?

During the implementation period, J-PAL LAC acts as a facilitator in establishing Ev-Labs, providing specialized technical advice for a
limited period of time to help launch a technically and operationally viable lab. Our assistance focuses on:
Installing internal capacity and tools to use existing evidence and produce rigorous evaluations.
Initial diagnosis for adapting the learning cycle to the ministries policy design processes.
Supporting the implementation of all the phases of the learning cycle.

A MODEL: MINEDULAB
In 2014, Perus Ministry of Education, J-PAL LAC, and Innovations for Poverty Action
developed the first framework for a policy design lab that would help the Ministry
incorporate rigorous, scientific evidence into its public policy decisions. After two
years of collaboration, ten pilot programs were identified, incubated, and evaluated
following the Learning Cycle described above. Three of these evaluations have
already released preliminary results. Today, MineduLAB is a space for continuous
innovation and learning in education policy, achieving this at a relatively low cost.
MineduLAB, as the first Ev-Lab, generated a model that continues to evolve. We are
now adapting the Learning Cycle to other ministries in Mexico, Colombia, Chile,
and Brazil to meet the needs of different governments in the region. All of this
contributes to J-PAL LACs aim to help Latin American governments improve the
effectiveness of their social programs, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of
life in the region.