Evidence is an important part of everyday lives. From choosing fuel for our vehicle, why CNG is environment friendly, to something as big as a court case, everything has its basis on the evidence. From choosing between jobs and to ubiquitous religious belief. The outcome of many criminal law cases depends upon the strength and admissibility of evidence-including physical proof, scientific evidence and witness testimony, owing to enactment of Indian Evidence Act in 1872. Access to accurate and reliable information is central to the idea of a democratic society like India. The enactment of Right to information Act 2005 is a historic event in the annals of evidence-based democracy in India.
So how is evidence used for policy decisions in India? India, as a growing international leader, already values the importance of informed policy decisions. As per the estimates of Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) report on “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals The Role of Financial Inclusion reports 2016”, recent government effort to open banks in rural areas helped cut rural poverty by 14 to 17 percentage points. Similarly digitization of India will allow digital payment services to collect money from far-flung friends and relatives when faced with economic pressure including demonetization. The Indian National e-Governance Plan (NEGP) envisages Citizen Service Centers as providing a primary mode of service delivery channel for rural areas. These reforms are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-ending extreme poverty which explicitly mentions the importance of financial services. International and national research organizations need to focus on what different countries can learn from each other. The future of security, stability, and prosperity of all countries depend on it.
The importance of National Statistical Agencies is well-established owing to undertaking evaluation studies and large-scale population-based surveys. Data collected over long periods are available in the public domain, which is subsequently used by policy makers for policy development, program planning, monitoring and evaluation. Policy-decisions are also supported through technical advisory groups and expert committees within Government framework for example National technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI). Expert from various background present their expertise on subject matter and own research that guides policy decisions. Apart from this, many individual research organizations in India undertake individual studies that add to data resource. Policy level reforms are needed to strengthen the emphasis on generating policy-relevant information, translation of research into policy decisions, and implementation of policy through service delivery. For research to be tailor-made to policy questions, it is imperative to create platform for information flow between National and International researchers, institutions and policy makers. What approach produce seamless interaction? How best can this be achieved?
The twelfth five-year plan (2013-17) for higher education addresses three overarching challenges: excellence, equity and expansion in India advocating increased international research collaboration.
To help further these critical goals and exploring answers to the above question, the Campbell Collaboration, the Global Development organisation and the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) are organising a half-day conference that brings together national and international development economist and policy specialists to identify actionable ways to move the evidence agenda forward by linking priority research questions with on-going and future research activities.
The Campbell Collaboration is an international research network supporting reviews of rigorous research of the effectiveness of social and economic policies and programmes. Specifically the Campbell Collaboration works with this mission statement “The Campbell Collaboration promotes positive social and economic change through the production and use of systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis for evidence-based policy and practice.”
