Egypt Impact Lab

The Egypt Impact Lab is a collaboration between J-PAL Middle East and North Africa (J-PAL MENA) and Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development to strengthen the effectiveness of Egypt’s poverty alleviation policies through rigorous evaluation and innovation.

The Lab connects academics with government partners to rigorously evaluate the impact of promising and innovative government programmes. Results from these evaluations inform decisions to scale up the most effective programmes across the nation, potentially reaching millions of low-income people.

The Lab’s research and policy work revolves around top government priorities, including reducing poverty in rural Egypt, improving the effectiveness of social protection programmes, promoting microenterprise development, and increasing access to economic opportunities and family planning to empower women.

The Lab works with key partners in the Egyptian government, including the Ministry of Social Solidarity; the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency; the National Council for Women; and the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. Through these partnerships, the Lab aims to strengthen the impact of major national programmes and initiatives, including Hayah Karima, an initiative to improve the quality of life for rural Egyptians, and the National Family Development Programme, focused on empowering women and families.

The Egypt Impact Lab is supported by its founding partners Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and Community Jameel, with additional support from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Egypt.