The First Tranche

AidData partners with UN agency IFAD to evaluate irrigation programs in three countries Across Cape Verde, Ethiopia, and the Philippines, teams are studying the long-term impacts of major irrigation investments—with implications for future programs to fight drought and climate change. Alex Wooley

Development depends on data. How do we make that data more resilient? Some preliminary insights from AidData’s efforts to compile a “short” list of 500 data assets across eight priority sectors. Rodney Knight and Bryan Burgess

Decision making with ambiguous data: AidData research informs simulation to train rising leaders AidData placed the Presidential Precinct’s Global Democracy Fellows inside a simulation of a government confronting conflicting evidence, an unfunded transition, and a decision it could not postpone. Sethu Nguna

Before reimagining development data, remember what we’ve learned Why we’re publishing a free, searchable, and ungated archive featuring a quarter-century of USAID evaluation reports. John Custer, Bryan Burgess, Brad Parks, and Ketevan Gallager

Simulating U.S. grand strategy to train current and future policy leaders William & Mary’s Statecraft Simulations Group held its inaugural simulation in Washington, D.C. on U.S.-China strategic competition. Sethu Nguna

W&M’s AidData leads global effort to solve agricultural challenges using geospatial analysis A recent gathering of 120 international policymakers, researchers and nonprofit leaders in Rome celebrated ‘how far the field has come in just a few short years’. Tina Eshleman, W&M University Marketing

Kenya’s switch to Chinese RMB denominated-debt was a restructuring in disguise A new AidData policy note analyzes Kenya’s railway loan restructuring—and the potential implications for Ethiopia. Oshin Pandey and Sailor Miao

A decade of inquiry about development data—and a new opportunity to act AidData is collaborating with those who fund, produce, and use development data to reimagine resilient data systems amid changes in the funding landscape. Divya Mathew

Leveraging remittances for economic recovery in Yemen A new report by the International Growth Centre and AidData provides evidence on how global restrictions and informal transfer systems shape remittances—Yemen's single largest source of external finance. Narayani Sritharan, Istanbool Ba Abbad, Aymen Othman Ghaleb, Oshin Pandey, Amna Mahmood, Bryan Burgess, Hind Kasim

Rehabilitating some of the world’s toughest roads: AidData and partners evaluate impacts of a nationwide project in Liberia What we’re learning from the first geospatial impact evaluation of a decades-long program to transform rural roads in the wake of Liberia’s civil war. Alex Wooley

Three powers, three playbooks: U.S., Japanese, and Chinese official financing in Southeast Asia over a quarter-century Foreign policy experts shared insights from a new AidData brief at a panel discussion in Washington, D.C. Sam Gruber

AidData to conduct impact evaluations and research gender equity in sub-Saharan Africa A new grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation will enable AidData to finalize years of collaborative research projects in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. Sam Gruber