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    3ie invented evidence gap maps to improve decision-making around where to make investments in producing more evidence or synthesising existing evidence. Since then, we have pioneered further advancements, including developing our interactive online map platform and innovating evidence mapping to broaden its use in development decision-making.

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    3ie plays a unique role in promoting collaboration among researchers, policymakers and development programme managers at country, regional and global levels. Our global advocacy for evidence-informed action helps ensure decision makers have quality evidence about what works when they need it.

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    Searching this database will bring up published impact evaluations from our Impact Evaluation Repository as well as completed 3ie-funded impact evaluations.

    This repository includes summaries of systematic reviews drawn from a range of sources and sectors. The summaries include findings, methodologies and quality appraisal of existing reviews and protocols of ongoing studies.

    These provide a visual display of completed and ongoing systematic reviews and impact evaluations in a sector or sub-sector, structured around a framework of interventions and outcomes.

    We provide funding for replications, conduct in-house replication research and publish guidance on replication methodology. We also provide funding to original authors of 3ie-funded for preparing their raw datasets.

    As part of our mandate as a knowledge producer and translator for our main audiences, we publish a range of knowledge products. These include briefs, impact evaluation reports, systematic review reports and summaries, replication papers, evidence gap map reports, scoping reports and working papers.

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    3ie’s has two major evidence programmes that support the generation and use of high-quality evidence for informing decision-making in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector

    .

    We work with various departments in the Philippines government to develop and fund rigorous evidence useful for policymakers. We also support capacity-building activities for Philippine researchers and support the impact evaluation management framework of the National Economic and Development Authority.

    Working in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, the primary aim is to improve developmental outcomes through evidence-informed decision making in Uganda. 3ie is currently supporting evaluation of government programmes around youth livelihood, family planning, public service delivery and local governance, and universal primary education.

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  • Our expertise
    • Evidence mapping
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    3ie invented evidence gap maps to improve decision-making around where to make investments in producing more evidence or synthesising existing evidence. Since then, we have pioneered further advancements, including developing our interactive online map platform and innovating evidence mapping to broaden its use in development decision-making.

    3ie funds and quality assures formative and impact evaluations of development programmes in low- and middle-income countries. These evaluations provide crucial evidence on what works, for whom, why and at what cost. On our website, we host the largest-of-its-kind impact evaluation repository that includes summaries of both 3ie-funded and other studies.

    We are global leaders in producing and assuring the quality of theory-based systematic reviews of the effectiveness of development interventions. 3ie continues to innovate and improve synthesis and systematic review methodologies and the uptake and use of synthesised evidence.

    3ie specialises in increasing access to, demand for and use of evidence by governments, parliaments, programme managers, civil society, programme participants and the media. We do this by emphasising the value of planning and engaging with stakeholders to ensure that evaluations and reviews are relevant and useful. We use robust and effective monitoring to measure evidence use so that we can convey evidence impact on programmes and policies with greater confidence.

    We set up our replication programme to address the need for a freely available global public good that helps improve the quality and reliability of impact evaluation evidence used for development decision-making. Replication is the most established method of research validation in science, yet it has not been fully embraced by the research community or development donors, leading to this gap.

    3ie’s evidence programmes and services help build technical capacity to commission and conduct rigorous evaluations, produce evidence gap maps, conduct evidence synthesis and use evidence. We also work with L&MIC governments to build effective monitoring and evaluation systems. 3ie’s bursary programme supports L&MIC policymakers, programme managers and researchers to participate in specialised training and international events.

    3ie has always been strongly committed to research transparency and open access to data. We are proud to be a leader in the growing movement to improve global standards for research transparency.

    On request, 3ie provides services to partners for supporting the generation and use of evidence to inform their development policies and programmes. We commission and quality assure evidence gap maps, evaluations and syntheses as well as provide training.

    3ie plays a unique role in promoting collaboration among researchers, policymakers and development programme managers at country, regional and global levels. Our global advocacy for evidence-informed action helps ensure decision makers have quality evidence about what works when they need it.

  • Evidence hub
    • Impact evaluation repository
    • Systematic review repository
    • Evidence gap maps
    • Replication studies
    • Publications
    • RIDIE

    Searching this database will bring up published impact evaluations from our Impact Evaluation Repository as well as completed 3ie-funded impact evaluations.

    This repository includes summaries of systematic reviews drawn from a range of sources and sectors. The summaries include findings, methodologies and quality appraisal of existing reviews and protocols of ongoing studies.

    These provide a visual display of completed and ongoing systematic reviews and impact evaluations in a sector or sub-sector, structured around a framework of interventions and outcomes.

    We provide funding for replications, conduct in-house replication research and publish guidance on replication methodology. We also provide funding to original authors of 3ie-funded for preparing their raw datasets.

    As part of our mandate as a knowledge producer and translator for our main audiences, we publish a range of knowledge products. These include briefs, impact evaluation reports, systematic review reports and summaries, replication papers, evidence gap map reports, scoping reports and working papers.

    3ie’s Registry for International Development Impact Evaluations (RIDIE) aims to enhance the transparency and quality of impact evaluation research before it begins.

  • Our work
      • Agriculture
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Governance
      • Health
      • Humanitarian
      • Infrastructure
      • Livelihoods
      • Public finance
      • Social protection
      • Water, sanitation and hygiene
    • Working with governments
      • Philippines
      • Uganda
      • West Africa Capacity-buidling and Impact Evaluation
    • Replication
      • Replication Programme on Financial Services for the Poor
      • Replication programme on HIV prevention

    3ie’s evidence programmes support studies to fill critical knowledge gaps in a sector, sub-sector or in an area with limited rigorous evidence. We fund studies under a specific theme or which address a particular question or set of questions in programme areas where our donors want to expand global public knowledge of what works and what does not.

    To help address gaps in the understanding of what works and what does not, we fund a variety of studies across this programme area, including interventions focused on insurance, extension, land-use and forestry, and innovation and technology.

    3ie supports impact evaluations, systematic reviews and evidence gap maps on education effectiveness that help answer the questions of what works, for whom, why and at what cost.

    We fund the production of rigorous evidence on biodiversity and forest conservation programmes, environmental regulations, impact of sustainable fuels, climate change mitigation and adaptation.

    3ie is supporting the generation of evidence in areas such as transparency and accountability in natural resource governance. We also fund the production of rigorous evidence on interventions to curb corruption, judicial and civil service reforms, land reforms, public financial management, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, decentralised governance and public service delivery.

    We fund the production of rigorous evidence on interventions on HIV and AIDS, immunisation maternal and child health, nutrition and sexual and reproductive health through a number of evidence programmes. Evidence products from these programmes include replication studies, evidence gap maps, systematic reviews and impact evaluations.

    We are supporting the generation of rigorous evidence in humanitarian contexts on interventions related to water, sanitation and hygiene, food security, multi-sectoral humanitarian programming and interventions targeting malnutrition.

    We fund the production of rigorous evidence on the socio-economic and environmental impacts of public transportation by rail, bus and rapid transit systems, and essential services such as electricity and gas to expand access, foster inclusive growth, and combat climate change through sustainable systems.

    3ie, in collaboration with India’s rural development ministry is working to generate rigorous evidence on the impact of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission.

    We support policy-relevant studies that contribute to improving our understanding of public expenditure trends and improving the delivery of public goods.

    We support impact evaluations to build the evidence base on the effectiveness of interventions that reduce the risks faced by the poor through participation in public works and employment programmes.

    3ie’s has two major evidence programmes that support the generation and use of high-quality evidence for informing decision-making in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector

    .

    We work with various departments in the Philippines government to develop and fund rigorous evidence useful for policymakers. We also support capacity-building activities for Philippine researchers and support the impact evaluation management framework of the National Economic and Development Authority.

    Working in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister, the primary aim is to improve developmental outcomes through evidence-informed decision making in Uganda. 3ie is currently supporting evaluation of government programmes around youth livelihood, family planning, public service delivery and local governance, and universal primary education.

    3ie and the government of Benin are working on a a multi-year regional initiative that aims to promote the institutionalization of evaluation in government systems across eight countries in West Africa, including: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
     

    .

    3ie funds internal replications of influential or innovative impact evaluations of financial interventions on mobile money, cash transfers, bank deposits, and other financial service interventions targeted towards underserved and unbanked populations in developing countries.

    3ie funds internal replications of influential or innovative impact evaluations of biomedical, behavioural, social, and structural HIV prevention and treatment interventions to improve the evidence base in low- and middle-income countries.

  • Funding
    • Open opportunities
    • Bursary programme

    View our current funding opportunities for evaluations, systematic reviews and internal replication studies.

    3ie’s bursary programme offers funding for individuals to attend workshops and conferences related to impact evaluations and systematic reviews.

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  4. Using big data to evaluate the impacts of transportation infrastructure investment: the case of subway systems in Beijing, China

Using big data to evaluate the impacts of transportation infrastructure investment: the case of subway systems in Beijing, China

Impact evaluation
Publication Type: Ongoing 3ie Funded Studies
Author: Shanjun Li, Yanyan Liu, Jun Yang
Country: China
Region: East Asia and Pacific (includes South East Asia)
Sector: Environment and Disaster Management, Urban Transport
Evaluation design: Difference-in Difference (DID), Propensity Score Matching (PSM), Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD)
Status: Ongoing
3ie Funding Window: Development Priorities Window 1

Publication details

3ie Funded Evaluation, DPW1.1106. A link to the completed study will appear when available.

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Synopsis

The study will measure the impacts of rapid subway expansion in Beijing in addressing traffic congestion and air pollution.

Context

Rapid urbanization brings improvement in the standard of living and opportunities for economic growth along with huge environmental and societal challenges. Once a city of bicycle riders at the turn of the century, Beijing is now ranked among, the most congested and polluted cities in the world. During 2001-2015, its population grew from 13.8 million to nearly 22 million while the number of vehicles increased from 1.1 million to nearly 6 million. The growing urban population and unprecedented increase in vehicle ownership has led to severe traffic congestion and air pollution in virtually all major urban areas in China, a common challenge faced by other emerging economies.

To address these challenges, central and local governments in China are undertaking huge investment in transportation infrastructure such as subway systems. China's twelfth national five?year plan (2011?2015) outlined 69 new subway lines to be constructed with a total length of 2,100 kilometres and spending of RMB 800 billion (US$ 130 billion). Despite the huge investment in subway infrastructure in Beijing and other major cities in China, rigorous evaluation of the social and economic impacts of subway expansion is lacking. This study will provide a rigorous evaluation as well as a cost-benefit analysis of the socio-economic impacts of rapid subway expansion in Beijing on traffic congestion and air pollution. '

Research questions

  1. What are the effects of subway expansion on:
    • Traffic congestion
    • Local air quality
    • Housing prices
  2. Do the benefits from the subway expansion investments justify their costs?

Methodology

Intervention design

The intervention being evaluated is the rapid subway expansion in Beijing. Before 2000, Beijing had only two subway lines. Two new lines were opened from 2002 to 2006 and new lines were opened every year since 2007. From a global perspective, Beijing's rapid development of mass transit since 2007 is unprecedented. From 2007 to 2014, the total investment in transportation facilities amounted to over 350 billion yuan (about US$ 56 billion). During this period, fourteen new subway lines and one airport expressway were constructed with a total length of 440 kilometres. The rapid subway expansion programme is still ongoing in Beijing: another twelve subway lines are under construction and scheduled to open before the end of 2020 with a total length of nearly 378 kilometres. Similar large scale and rapid expansion of subway systems are taking place in other major cities throughout China.

Theory of change

It is hypothesised that subway expansion reduces traffic congestion and improves air quality. However, the long run effects of subway expansion on traffic congestion relief and air quality improvement are lower than the effects in the short run. The same effects are larger in the areas closer to the new subway lines than the effects in the areas farther away from the new subway lines. It is also expected that subway expansion will affect property values especially for the neighbourhoods close to the new subway stations, because the nearby residents will benefit from easier subway access, relieved traffic congestion, and improved air quality.

Evaluation design

The quantitative analysis in this study will take advantage of both spatially and temporally rich big data on traffic congestion, air pollution, and housing transactions. A sharp time?series regression discontinuity (RD) and distance?based difference?in?difference (DID) with matching methods will be used to examine how the rapid expansion of the subway system affects traffic congestion, air quality, and housing prices.

Additional publications

  • The effect of subway expansions on vehicle congestion: Evidence from Beijing, ScienceDirect, March 2018
  • The Marginal Cost of Traffic Congestion and Road Pricing: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Beijing, SSRN, Jan 2018
  • The Effect of Subway Expansion on Air Quality: Evidence from Beijing, June 2018 
  • The Morbidity Cost of Air Pollution: Evidence from Consumer Spending in China, NBER Working Paper No. 24688, June 2018 

Media coverage

  • Prescription for treating urban diseases, CICER, June 2017
  • Cornell University, China Institute of Economic Research and Beijing Institute of Transportation research recommendations

Thank you for your interest in this publication

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