The Policy Impact Evaluation Research Initiative (PIERI) funds a series of evaluations of programs that seek to foster human capital investment in rural areas. This initiative was launched as part of the PEP general call for proposals in November 2007.

After several rounds of competitive selection, nine teams were offered financial and scientific support to develop impact evaluations of various programs and interventions aiming at improving health, education and labor opportunities of the rural poor. Four of these projects involve the design and implementation of randomized experiments and surveys and the collection of original data.

This initiative aims to:

• encourage the development of rigorous policy impact evaluations in the research community in developing countries
• inform policy in each of these countries by encouraging the dissemination of the results to policy-makers.

This initiative builds on past policy impact evaluations by PEP researchers using non-experimental data in Argentina, Peru and Vietnam. Selected projects will run over a course of three and a half years. PEP is seeking funding to expand this initiative in specific regions or worldwide.