Sector Expertise

Every project we take on begins with a question that matters. Across six years and hundreds of engagements in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, DIA has worked on research that reaches into the field and comes back with something true — evidence that informs policy, shapes programmes, and illuminates the realities of people whose lives depend on decisions being made well. Browse our work across the areas where we are active.

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Dalit Bandhu Study

Understanding the impact of redistributive government policy on group-level inequality and inter-caste relations in Telangana.

Partners

Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School, Dean’s Research Fund, Harvard Kennedy School, Weatherhead Center, Harvard,

Quantitative Survey in Village Panchayats of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh

A large-scale household survey examining rural livelihoods, governance, and community participation in village panchayats.

Partners

Stanford University, IIT Gandhinagar,

GST Tax Practitioner’s Survey

Understanding the needs of tax practitioners in navigating GST requirements for compliance outcomes.

Partners

Ashoka University, Ashoka Foundation for Research and Education,

Perception of Business Environment and Commercial Contexts | A Business Survey

Understanding how small and medium retailers perceive their political and policy context.

Partners

Harvard University,

Rice Price Volatility Across Interstate Markets

How rice farmers navigate the realities of market volatility to secure returns.

Partners

Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR),

Cognitive Consequences of Social Media-Induced Insecure National Belonging

Examining identity, belonging, and perception in West Bengal

Partners

UCLouvain,

Households, Information Diffusion, and Gender

Understanding decision-making dynamics within couples

Partners

University of Pittsburgh, Rice University,

Rapid Need Assessment on Gender Integration in BRLP-JEEVIKA

Understanding gender in Bihar's livelihood programme.

Partners

Centre for Catalyzing Change,

Empowering women through safety at work: An experiment to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace

Testing sexual harassment training to improve workplace safety in urban India.

Partners

Ashoka University, Northwestern University, Imperial College London, Harvard Business School, Martha Farrell Foundation,

Mental Load of Domestic/Care Responsibilities and Impact on Productivity

Exploring how domestic and care related responsibilities impact individual productivity.

Partners

University of Oxford,

Understanding Constrained Users’ Experience of UPI-Based Digital Payment Apps

Making UPI more accessible and intuitive for migrant workers, gig workers, and women.

Partners

Dvara Research, Centre for Social and Behaviour Change,

Sentiment Analysis on Green Skills Across India and Bangladesh

What does the youth think of sustainability and climate policy?

Partners

The World Bank Group,

Financial Life Skills Education Impact on Children

Evaluating the impact of providing children with formalised education in financial and life skills.

Partners

Aflatoun International, Utrecht University, School of Economics, Echidna Giving, MelJol,

Use of referrals in the Blue Collar Employment Economy in Delhi

Familiar strangers: evidence from referral-based hiring experiments in India.

Partners

Harvard University,

Comprehensive Student Assessments for Large-Scale Mathematics Assessment in Andhra Pradesh

Meaningful use of technology in schools using Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL).

Partners

Central Square Foundation, Development Innovation Lab, University of Chicago, University of Chicago, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan,

Evaluation of CropIn agricultural information technology services on farming outputs India

Can technological access to educational and market information affect farmer output? A study of soybean farmers in Maharashtra.

Partners

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF),

Gender Equitable Schools Project

Strengthening gender-responsive school leadership to build safer, more equitable learning environments in Telangana.

Partners

Global School Leaders (GSL), Alokit, Echidna Giving, Vitol Foundation,

Evaluating the Impact of an All-Women’s STEM Program (Women Engineers Program)

A randomized evaluation of a fully-funded STEM career readiness program for first-generation women engineering students in India.

The Role of Work Arrangements and Social Norms in Women’s Work Participation in India

Exploring barriers to women’s labor force participation in Haryana

Partners

IIM Bangalore,

Debiasing Law Enforcement Officers: Evidence from an Expressive Arts Intervention in India (Bihar)

Improving police response to gender-based violence in Bihar

Partners

The World Bank Group, Northeastern University, Princeton University, Bihar Police, Mittika, J-PAL,

Cultivating curiosity in Science Education: Lessons from a Teacher’s Training Program

Promoting curiosity-based science learning in schools in Fatehpur, UP

Partners

Northeastern University, University of Notre Dame, Loughborough University, IIM Ahmedabad, Eco Prism Collective, Agastya Foundation,

Can Guilt Change Police Attitude towards Gender-Based Violence? (Bihar)

Testing psychological interventions to reduce police bias in Bihar

Partners

University of Connecticut, ifo Institute, Bihar Police,

Customer Protection in Microfinance: Regulatory Compliance Monitoring Tool

Studying the impact of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) new regulatory framework on the microfinance sector.

Partners

Dvara Research,

Demand Elasticity and Externalities in the Adoption of Electric Cookstoves in Rural Tamil Nadu and Gujarat

Rural cooking transitions: demand, substitution, health, and gender impacts.

Partners

Indian Statistical Institute,

Examining the role of discrimination in restricting women’s labour force participation in India

How does gender bias impede hiring in urban spaces? A large-scale study takes stock.

Partners

McGill University, Azim Premji University, United Nations University, IIM Bangalore, Aastrika Foundation,

Parental Practices and Child Outcomes: Theory and Evidence from Delhi

Can access to educational material on parenting practice improve child outcomes?

Partners

University of Glasgow,

Forecasts at Scale: General Equilibrium Impacts of Climate Adaptation (Endline Study)

Monitoring how increased access to weather forecasting affects agricultural choices and outcomes.

Partners

University of Chicago, J-PAL, The World Bank Group,

Field Scoping Activity with Dr. Duncan Webb (Princeton University) in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu

A scoping study exploring legal enforcement, healthcare access, and discrimination in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu.

Partners

Princeton University,

Anatomy of Filing Non-Compliance in VAT systems

Investigating why businesses fail to comply with VAT filing requirements in Bihar and Delhi.

Partners

Ashoka University, Institute of Development Studies,

Study on Women’s Labour Force Participation

Examining the household, social, and institutional factors shaping women's labour force participation in Madhya Pradesh.

Partners

WISE Programme, Yale University,

Endline Data Collection on Financial Inclusion in Begusarai, Bihar

Evaluating the social and economic outcomes of a financial inclusion programme under JEEViKA, Government of Bihar.

Partners

Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Inclusion Economics India Centre (IEIC), IFMR, Krea University,

Forecasts at Scale: Safe Water Now

Expanding chlorinated water access through In-Line Chlorination (ILC) in Andhra Pradesh.

Partners

EAII Advisors,

Theatre-Based Learning Impacts on Socio-Emotional Development

Measuring the impact of theatre-based learning on student attitudes, aspirations, emotional well-being, peer relationships, and critical thinking.

Partners

Rang Kaarwaan,

Can Innovation Be Taught in Schools?

Exploring whether innovation-related critical thinking can be fostered in schools through structured curricula.

Partners

Inqui-Lab Foundation,

The WHO Self-Help Plus (SH+) Group Counselling for Indian Women in Poverty

A pilot evaluation of the Self-Help Plus intervention to provide scalable, group-based counselling to poor women in India.

Partners

University of Texas, Austin, University of Southern California,

The Impact and External Validity of Mobile Money Interventions in South Asia

Testing whether the impacts of mobile money on migrant households in Bangladesh replicate in a larger sample across the subcontinent.

Partners

The World Bank Group, National University of Singapore, Florida International University, University of Exeter, New York University,

Impact of a Digital Platform on Farm Finances

Understanding the impact of digital record-keeping on farm finances, production choices, and profitability in agriculture.

Partners

University of Cambridge, Birkbeck, University of London, Monash University, Keynes Fund, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Business and Law, Birkbeck, University of London,

Indian Food Systems for Improved Nutrition (INFUSION)

Transforming rural food markets for better nutrition and livelihoods.

Partners

University of Sheffield, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), MicroSave Consulting (MSC), Indian School of Business (ISB), ICMR – National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), ICAR – National Institute of Economics and Policy Research, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO),

The Entrepreneurial Mindset Development Programme (EMDP) in Andhra Pradesh

Assessing the effectiveness of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Development Programme in fostering an entrepreneurial outlook among students in Andhra Pradesh.

Partners

South Asia Gender Innovation Lab, New York University Abu Dhabi, University of California, San Diego, Johns Hopkins University – SAIS, Indian Statistical Institute, Northeastern University, Bates White,

Community-Managed Natural Farming Programme in Andhra Pradesh (APCNF)

Assessing, through a longitudinal study, the impact of natural farming on the quantity, quality, and market value of organic produce in Andhra Pradesh.

Partners

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, The Climate Policy Lab, Woodwell Climate Research Centre,

Digitizing Women’s Money Management

Understanding the dynamics influencing financial management practices among women in economically disadvantaged households.

Partners

Dvara Research, Gramin Vikas Trust,

The Vazhndhu Kattuvom Project: Rural Entrepreneurship in Tamil Nadu

An impact evaluation of a personal development skills program delivered to rural entrepreneurs across Tamil Nadu.

Partners

South Asia Gender Innovation Lab, The World Bank Group, Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project, Hand in Hand,

What we do

We partner with governments, development agencies, foundations, and private organizations to generate high-quality evidence, strengthen programmes, and translate research into meaningful policy and social impact.

  • Data Analytics & Policy Research

    Turning complex data into actionable insights that inform evidence-based government and development policy.

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  • Impact Evaluation

    Rigorous evaluations using RCTs and causal inference to measure real programme outcomes and impact.

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  • Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)

    Comprehensive MEL systems helping organisations track performance and drive continuous, adaptive learning.

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  • Programme Design & Strategy

    Designing practical, evidence-informed programmes that are scalable, results-oriented, and built to last.

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  • Qualitative Research & Behavioural Insights

    Understanding human decisions and behaviour through interviews, ethnography, and mixed-methods research.

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  • Survey Research & Field Operations

    We provide end-to-end survey and field research services, from initial research design through to final, analysis-ready datasets.

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