Dr. Rachel Sayers, a Research Scientist at AidData's Research and Evaluation Unit, visited PSI On June 4, 2024 for the purpose of research collaboration. AidData is an international development research lab housed at the Global Research Institute of William and Mary.
The organization aims to connect decision-makers and researchers who share an interest in using granular data and innovative tools to solve pressing problems, precisely target resources, and rigorously measure the intended and unintended impacts of policies and investments.
AidData prioritizes working in data-poor environments where there is an unmet need for better evidence and insights. In these areas, the organization believes its expertise can have an outsized impact, helping to fill critical knowledge gaps and informing more effective development policies and programs.
H.E. Prof. Beyene Petros, Director General of PSI
Dr. Rachel Sayers is a Research Scientist at AidData's Research and Evaluation Unit, where she conducts impact evaluations on a variety of development topics. She combines econometric and GIS analysis methods to design and execute rigorous evaluations with a focus on causal identification.
Dr. Rachel Sayers, a Research Scientist at AidData's Research and Evaluation Unit
Dr. Rachel’s primary research interests include labor markets, human capital, household bargaining, and gender. She has also co-created AidData's new Gender Equity in Development initiative, which aims to leverage the organization's geospatial and research expertise to advance gender-related development work. Additionally, she has served as a co-chair of the Global Research Institute's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. Prior to her current role, Dr. Rachel was a Senior Research Analyst at AidData.
In welcoming Dr. Rachel’s visit, H.E. Prof. Beyene Petros, Director General of PSI, stated that while PSI is a government institution, when it conducts policy research and analysis, it operates as an autonomous institute. He explained that the institute undertakes extensive research, including surveys, and is currently conducting an impact evaluation of the Agricultural Growth Program (AGP), which is funded by a World Bank grant. The purpose of this impact evaluation is to improve the livelihoods of farmers, and it covers 133 districts as an end-line assessment.
H.E. Prof. Beyene further elaborated that PSI's responsibilities encompass a broad range of activities, including policy-relevant research, capacity-building training, and a strong focus on gender issues, which he emphasized as being a significant area of focus for the institute. In addition, H.E. Prof. Beyene noted that PSI has a dedicated research department focused on women, youth, and children. He further elaborated that the institute provides consultancy services and collaborates with national, regional, and international institutions, including Swedish universities and the Oxford University.
Dr. Tigabu Getahun, Lead Researcher at PSI
H.E. Prof. Beyene also mentioned that PSI is involved in a long-term project with Young Lives, which has been running for more than 15 years. Regarding his own background, Prof. Beyene stated that he completed his MSc and PhD in the United States, and as a result, he is well-versed in the American research culture.
Dr. Abebe Ambachew
Following H.E. Prof. Beyene’s remarks, Dr. Beneberu Assefa, a lead researcher at PSI, added that he has been conducting research on gender, particularly in connection with agricultural development in various institutions and international projects given his expertise in agricultural extension, development management, and international development. He added that in one of the projects called NutriHAF Africa, he has been researching on mainstreaming gender and nutrition in Ethiopian agriculture systems and on improving rural livelihoods in Ethiopia and Madagascar. He also mentioned that in the evaluation of the second agricultural growth program that PSI is undertaking currently, gender is an integral component when evaluating the program development objectives such as agricultural productivity, commercialization, and food and nutrition security. Finally, he explained that gender has been a key element in agriculture and rural development research and his expertise in employing some methods such as women empowerment in agriculture index.
Dr. Solomon Zena
Next, Dr. Tigabu Getahun, a lead researcher at PSI, stated that he has been working with various international universities and research institutes, including Boston University, AidData, Stanford, UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan, the World Bank, IFPRI, the University of California, the London School of Economics, and others.
Dr. Tigabu also mentioned that he has been commissioned by the European Union for various research projects on topics such as the private sector, gender, entrepreneurship, and social safety nets. Additionally, he said he has conducted capacity-building training funded by UNDP. Furthermore, Dr. Tigabu shared that he has been working as a staff member at the University of Bonn, where he traveled four times a year to teach courses for PhD students. Despite his training in economics, he considers himself an Impact Evaluation professional and has conducted extensive research on impact evaluation, gender, and lease financing for SMEs. Finally, Dr. Tigabu stated that there is no overlap between his work and that of Dr. Rachel Sayers, and he emphasized that gender is a cross-cutting issue, with empowerment being a critical area of focus.
Dr. Rachel Sayers introduced AidData's research lab, stating that it has three main units. The first unit focuses on tracking underreported financial flows, from some countries, and analyzing the impact on recipient countries.The second unit is the policy and analysis team, which responds to requests for policy engagement and conducts research to produce policy briefs for governments to assess their portfolios.The third unit, which she focused on most, is the research and evaluation unit. This unit primarily conducts impact evaluations, leveraging her strengths as an economist. The areas of focus include geospatial data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
Dr. Rachel Sayers explained that in situations where in-person evaluation is not feasible, such as an irrigation project in Mali, the team uses satellite imagery and existing survey data to track project implementation and measure outcomes like agricultural productivity and child health. Dr. Rachel Sayers also discussed using machine learning techniques to classify land use and land cover from satellite imagery, which is incorporated into their evaluations. Additionally, they have used artificial intelligence to predict welfare measures across an entire country using DHS data. Dr. Rachel Sayers noted that the Hewlett Foundation has been a major funder, supporting their efforts to build capacity and collaborate with African institutions on these geospatial impact evaluation methods.
Dr. Rachel explained that geographers and computer scientists can use satellite imagery to develop measures that would not be possible through traditional studies. She said they integrate this technology, particularly in areas where on-the-ground visits are not feasible. She noted that this approach is useful for evaluating international development projects where baseline data was not collected, as satellite imagery and remote sensing can substitute for that missing information.
Dr. Rachel provided examples of how satellite data can be used, such as predicting poverty levels within a city based on features like building materials and room usage. Satellite imagery can also be used to classify land use. She mentioned a project studying flood impacts and another looking at social network influences on sweet potato adoption to improve agricultural yields for smallholder farmers.
Dr. Rachel also discussed a large grant from the Gates Foundation, which is funding several impact evaluations on agriculture and climate change. This grant also supports a community of practice designed to help economists better leverage the geospatial data and methods of geographers and computer scientists.
In terms of the broader mission, Dr. Rachel highlighted efforts to improve the accuracy of women's empowerment measurements, as well as to complement remote sensing with survey data to boost national measurement efficiency. Thematic areas of focus include land rights and transportation. Her own work centers on women's labor market outcomes and skill development. As part of this, the initiative funded by Hewlett University is conducting impact evaluations, including one focused on women in urban settings.
Addressing the area of collaboration, H.E. Prof. Beyene stated that there is significant overlap of interest and an opportunity to leverage the current knowledge and expertise between PSI and AidData. He emphasized the importance of feasibility and collaboration, noting that PSI has 14 research departments and a wealth of experience in climate and environmental research.
H.E. Prof. Beyene also mentioned that PSI collaborates with institutions such as Addis Ababa University. He emphasized that it is crucial for PSI researchers to publish their work in order to advance their careers and meet international standards.Furthermore, H.E. Prof. Beyene highlighted the importance of utilizing new technologies, such as satellite imagery, in PSI's research activities, as these can greatly enhance the institute's analytical capabilities.
Next, Dr. Solomon Zena expressed his interest in collaborating with AidData on gender-related research. He acknowledged that PSI has multiple departments with a wealth of experts in various fields, and he sees this as an opportune time to leverage the institute's internal expertise.
Dr. Solomon further stated that in the United States, there is a greater integration of data analysis into economic analysis, and he is eager to learn from Dr. Rachel Sayers' expertise in this area. To that end, he proposed that she could provide capacity-building training to PSI researchers, potentially with funding secured from the World Bank. Dr. Solomon emphasized that this collaboration between PSI and AidData is just the beginning, and he is committed to tapping into the vast knowledge and resources available within PSI to further strengthen the partnership.
Dr. Abebe Ambachew also expressed enthusiasm about the potential collaboration with the AidData team. He reported that over the past 3 days, he and Dr. Rachel Sayers had visited various ministries in Ethiopia and gained valuable insights that could inform future joint projects. Dr. Abebe acknowledged that in certain parts of Ethiopia, travel can be quite challenging for various reasons. He emphasized the importance of leveraging technology in these contexts and expressed a strong desire to learn from AidData's expertise in this area. To that end, Dr. Abebe urged the AidData team to consider providing training, as well as exploring opportunities for joint projects. He recognized that PSI cannot implement everything on its own and expressed an openness to partnering with other institutions as implementers. Dr. Abebe seemed eager to deepen the collaboration between PSI and AidData, highlighting the potential for mutual learning and the ability to tackle development challenges more effectively through partnership.
Overall, Dr. Rachel Sayers provided an overview of the diverse research activities and capabilities within AidData lab. From cutting-edge work leveraging satellite imagery, machine learning, and artificial intelligence for impact evaluations, to efforts to improve the measurement of complex development outcomes like women's empowerment, the AidData team is at the forefront of innovative approaches in the field. Supported by major funders like the Gates Foundation and Hewlett University, the lab is not only conducting impactful studies, but also building the capacity of partners to adopt these new geospatial methods. As she highlighted, the integration of expertise from economists, geographers, and computer scientists allows AidData to generate invaluable insights that can inform policy and programming decisions to improve lives around the world.