The Government of Andhra Pradesh has partnered with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) to strengthen and maximise the impact of welfare schemes by adopting a strategic and evidence-based approach in policymaking.
According to a release issued by J-PAL on Tuesday, the State government and J-PAL have recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a part of which the latter will work with the government to evaluate and enhance welfare programmes and policies, and provide technical assistance on the effective use and analysis of the administrative data to generate insights necessary for policymakers.
Collaborating with the officials of the Grama Sachivalayams and Ward Sachivalayams (GSWS) Department, J-PAL will work with several government departments including agriculture, education, health, housing, and women development and child welfare among others to test the effectiveness and delivery of welfare programmes.
“The Andhra Pradesh government’s engagement with evidence and data, along with their commitment to adopting a scientific approach, makes them a valuable partner of J-PAL South Asia. ”Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director, J-PAL South Asia.
These evaluations and the evidence-based insights will support the State in strengthening the schemes through quality improvements, increasing transparency, and better tracking of targets as well as designing new schemes, said the GSWS officials.
“The Andhra Pradesh government’s engagement with evidence and data, along with their commitment to adopting a scientific approach makes them a valuable partner of J-PAL South Asia. This partnership will enable deep engagements across departments and will facilitate a holistic approach towards continuously improving the lives of the people of the State,” said Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director, J-PAL South Asia.
J-PAL has three such collaborations with the governments of Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Odisha. The State government wants to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets by improvising the welfare and development schemes.
