Projects
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.
Dalit Bandhu Study
Understanding the impact of redistributive government policy on group-level inequality and inter-caste relations in Telangana.
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
GST Tax Practitioner’s Survey
Understanding the needs of tax practitioners in navigating GST requirements for compliance outcomes.
Perception of Business Environment and Commercial Contexts | A Business Survey
Understanding how small and medium retailers perceive their political and policy context.
Partners
Rice Price Volatility Across Interstate Markets
How rice farmers navigate the realities of market volatility to secure returns.
Cognitive Consequences of Social Media-Induced Insecure National Belonging
Examining identity, belonging, and perception in West Bengal
Partners
Households, Information Diffusion, and Gender
Understanding decision-making dynamics within couples
Partners
Rapid Need Assessment on Gender Integration in BRLP-JEEVIKA
Understanding gender in Bihar's livelihood programme.
Partners
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.
Mental Load of Domestic/Care Responsibilities and Impact on Productivity
Exploring how domestic and care related responsibilities impact individual productivity.
Partners
Understanding Constrained Users’ Experience of UPI-Based Digital Payment Apps
Making UPI more accessible and intuitive for migrant workers, gig workers, and women.
Sentiment Analysis on Green Skills Across India and Bangladesh
What does the youth think of sustainability and climate policy?
Partners
Financial Life Skills Education Impact on Children
Evaluating the impact of providing children with formalised education in financial and life skills.
Use of referrals in the Blue Collar Employment Economy in Delhi
Familiar strangers: evidence from referral-based hiring experiments in India.
Partners
Comprehensive Student Assessments for Large-Scale Mathematics Assessment in Andhra Pradesh
Meaningful use of technology in schools using Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL).
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.
Gender Equitable Schools Project
Strengthening gender-responsive school leadership to build safer, more equitable learning environments in Telangana.
Partners
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
Debiasing Law Enforcement Officers: Evidence from an Expressive Arts Intervention in India (Bihar)
Improving police response to gender-based violence in Bihar
Cultivating curiosity in Science Education: Lessons from a Teacher’s Training Program
Promoting curiosity-based science learning in schools in Fatehpur, UP
Can Guilt Change Police Attitude towards Gender-Based Violence? (Bihar)
Testing psychological interventions to reduce police bias in Bihar
Partners
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
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
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.
Parental Practices and Child Outcomes: Theory and Evidence from Delhi
Can access to educational material on parenting practice improve child outcomes?
Partners
Forecasts at Scale: General Equilibrium Impacts of Climate Adaptation (Endline Study)
Monitoring how increased access to weather forecasting affects agricultural choices and outcomes.
Partners
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
Anatomy of Filing Non-Compliance in VAT systems
Investigating why businesses fail to comply with VAT filing requirements in Bihar and Delhi.
Study on Women’s Labour Force Participation
Examining the household, social, and institutional factors shaping women's labour force participation in Madhya Pradesh.
Partners
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.
Forecasts at Scale: Safe Water Now
Expanding chlorinated water access through In-Line Chlorination (ILC) in Andhra Pradesh.
Partners
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
Can Innovation Be Taught in Schools?
Exploring whether innovation-related critical thinking can be fostered in schools through structured curricula.
Partners
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.
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.
Impact of a Digital Platform on Farm Finances
Understanding the impact of digital record-keeping on farm finances, production choices, and profitability in agriculture.
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.
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.
Digitizing Women’s Money Management
Understanding the dynamics influencing financial management practices among women in economically disadvantaged households.
Partners
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.
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.
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Data Analytics & Policy Research
We transform complex data into actionable insights using advanced statistical analysis, econometric modelling, predictive analytics, and mixed-methods approaches. Our policy research supports governments and development partners in designing, refining, and scaling evidence-informed programmes.
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Impact Evaluation
We design and deliver rigorous impact evaluations using randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental designs, and other robust causal inference methods to assess whether policies, programmes, and innovations achieve their intended outcomes. Our evaluations generate credible evidence that informs investment, policy, and scale-up decisions.
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Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL)
We design comprehensive MEL systems that enable organizations to monitor performance, evaluate implementation, and foster continuous learning. Our expertise includes Theory of Change development, logical frameworks, process evaluations, implementation research, learning agendas, and adaptive management.
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Programme Design & Strategy
We help organizations design evidence-informed programmes that are practical, scalable, and results-oriented. Our services include needs assessments, programme design, Theory of Change development, results frameworks, implementation strategies, technical advisory, institutional strengthening, and evidence translation to improve programme effectiveness and long-term impact.
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Qualitative Research & Behavioural Insights
We integrate qualitative inquiry with behavioural science and mixed-methods research to understand how people make decisions, experience public services, and respond to interventions. Through interviews, focus groups, ethnography, case studies, and participatory approaches, we generate rich contextual insights that complement quantitative evidence.