Explore our research
Explore our recent output of research and opinion.
Management and performance in mid-level bureaucracies: evidence from Ghanaian education districts
This paper studies mid-level bureaucracies: organisations operating between national and street levels that are commonly tasked with implementation of sector plans. We examine how these bureaucracies approach policy implementation, how they perform, and the relationship between the two.
Command and can’t control: an evaluation of centralized accountability in the public sector
High-frequency granular data can enable senior government officials to hold poorly performing members of the service delivery chain to account, however, centralised management must translate large volumes of data into appropriate management actions to be effective.
The role of delivery approaches in education systems reform: Evidence from a multi-country study
This report synthesises the findings of a multi-country, multi-team research project into the effectiveness of delivery approaches at improving education service delivery. The main countries studied were Ghana, Jordan, and Pakistan, with smaller studies in Sierra Leone and a soon-to-be-completed study in Tanzania.
A case study of the Sierra Leone delivery unit
This note on policy delivery in Sierra Leone is one of a series of research products that are being produced as part of the DeliverEd Initiative. This note is based on a qualitative analysis of a small number of semi-structured interviews with government officials and partner organizations working with the delivery unit.
The accountability paradox: Delivery units in Jordan’s education sector
Governments around the world have sought to strengthen accountability for results in the public sector by introducing central or sector-specific delivery approaches, such as delivery units.This retrospective study investigates the assumption that these delivery units could improve performance by enhancing accountabilityrelationships within the system.
Deliberate disrupters: Can delivery approaches deliver better education outcomes?
Read the DeliverEd project's final report Deliberate disrupters.
Implementation Matters: Generalising Treatment Effects in Education
Targeted instruction is one of the most effective educational interventions in low- and middle-income countries, yet reported impacts vary by an order of magnitude. We study this variation and use the results to inform a new randomised trial.
Education data needs and challenges for building back from COVID-19
This paper outlines the global pattern in pandemic school-closure periods and illustrates data needs through the examples drawn from Brazil and India, both of which experienced prolonged periods of school closures.
The public institutional integrity of the Amazon Fund
The Amazon Fund has the potential to enter a new phase, attracting millions of dollars in donations. For this, it must maximise its trustworthiness. The theory of public institutional integrity supports the Fund in identifying how it could improve its trustworthiness.
Tools at the centre of government
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role not just of government generally, but in particular the essential role the centre of government must play to mitigate problems that no longer respect organisational boundaries.
Research blogs
The Lemann Foundation Programme is a comparative research programme with an emphasis on Brazil, which generates and disseminates knowledge to improve the public sector and its associated institutions.
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