The SME Initiative kicked off an exciting new partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) on January 12, 2015.A high-level roundtable discussion brought together executives from Tier 1 banks across Africa with SME Initiative researchers and AfDB representatives.The one-day event focused on barriers to SME financing in the region.Participants discussed the challenges that banks face in lending to SMEs, identified potential solutions to those problems, and developed an action plan for testing these innovative ideas in order to expand access to finance for SMEs across Africa.

J-PAL e IPA co-organizarán el III Encuentro de la Red Peruana de Monitoreo y Evaluación, que en  esta edición abordará la temática “Evaluación de Impacto en las Políticas Públicas - Reflexiones actuales desde el ámbito público”. El evento tendrá lugar en Lima los días 11 y 12 de Diciembre en el Auditorio del Ministerio de la Mujer y Poblaciones Vulnerables (MIMP).   El encuentro reunirá a responsables de política pública, personal del sector privado, academia y sociedad civil, a fin de debatir las perspectivas actuales e intercambiar experiencias en el desarrollo de evaluaciones de impacto en el sector público.

The Centro de Informacion y Recursos para el Desarrollo (CIRD), IPA Peru, and J-PAL LAC organized a seminar on the importance of scientific evidence in improving the efficiency and efficacy of social policy.Dylan Ramshaw (Deputy Country Director, IPA Peru) introduced IPA and J-PAL’s mission and work in the region.Juan Hernandez (Policy Manager, J-PAL LAC) presented on the value that evidence can bring to public policy, as well as the role that randomized evaluations can play.Mauricio Alainz (Paraguay Project Coordinator, IPA Peru) presented results from randomized evaluations that examined topics in education, financial inclusion, and rural development.