Programs in health and social protection are designed to improve people’s lives by raising awareness and empowering communities to adopt practices that are associated with improved agriculture, nutrition, and other health outcomes. We conduct research and evaluation and provide technical assistance on a broad range of projects designed to improve people’s lives by working with communities, governments, and development agencies.
Our Work
AIR’s vast experience evaluating health and social protection interventions includes randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental evaluations, and formative evaluations with an emphasis on cash transfers, early childhood nutrition, and agricultural extension programs. AIR’s research is characterized by rigorous designs that enable causal claims, emphasize the theory of change, and use mixed methods to examine program effectiveness and fidelity of implementation. AIR builds partnerships with developing country governments and local researchers to engage with policy makers from an early stage of the research, ensuring contextually appropriate designs and building the capacity of developing country researchers.
AIR builds the capacity of policymakers in developing countries to make evidence-informed decisions by providing technical assistance to developing country government agencies. This assistance includes revising national policy and strategic operational plans and capacity building of government staff. We emphasize the importance of institutionalizing research and rigorous evaluations in program design to establish health and social protection programs built on evidence. Our key projects include:
