Explore our research
Explore our recent output of research and opinion.
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.
The effect of inter-municipal cooperation on social assistance programs
Decentralised administration of social assistance programs requires significant organisational capacity. In some circumstances, inter-municipal cooperation can enhance local policy implementation but impact evaluations have focused on public services that are capital-intensive, and on the effect of cooperation on service costs rather than quality.
Efficiency and resilience: How can we adjust the dial?
Following a roundtable to explore finding a better balance between efficiency and resilience, this report summarises the discussions and presents ideas to contribute to the policy discussion on shifting towards prevention and resilience.
The Path Forward For The Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) – Strengthening Capacity And Autonomy
This policy brief explores the capacity and autonomy gaps in the recently created Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (ANPD), and suggests alternatives to address them.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: When (and why) independent service delivery is preferable to collaborative public management
Drawing on a notable case of collaborative failure in England we show that misdiagnosing public service problems as being of a type likely to be cured by joint working also generates poor results, and belongs conceptually prior to many “go-to” explanations of failure.
US state-level OxCGRT reports
An overview of the key policy decisions taken to manage the transmission of COVID-19 and protect public health in 12 US states using data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT).
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.
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.
See how the School is responding to the climate emergency through our research and insight.
The Library of Global Public Goods was set up to share free learning resources that will enrich conversations among educational leaders in Global South countries.
Our research underpins our mission to inspire and support better government and public policy around the world.