Our team is evaluating India’s National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)—one of the world’s largest poverty alleviation programs. The study spans nine states of the country: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The survey, recently completed, covered over 25,000 households and 7,000 institutions, focusing on socio-economic indicators, institution-level data, and women’s empowerment. Managing such a vast operation required more than just structure and strategy.

Cost-effectiveness evidence can guide decision-making by showing which interventions offer the highest value for money, critical in an era of diminished resources for development. But, despite widespread acknowledgment of their importance, value for money analyses remain the exception rather than the rule. 

As we approach mid-2025, it may be easy to forget last year’s record global weather anomalies associated with global warming and the recent El Niño event. This cyclical phenomenon occurs in the Pacific Ocean and significantly affects weather patterns, affecting millions of people living along the eastern and western Pacific coasts, as well as in countries across the Indian Ocean. El Niño and other climate drivers also cause more frequent extreme weather events such as droughts and floods.