PDRI-DevLab is pleased to introduce the Research-to-Policy Student Initiative, a new program designed to bridge academic research and real-world policymaking. Building on our longstanding commitment to student training and policy engagement, the initiative pairs student writers directly with academic authors to co-develop policy briefs based on published research. This collaborative model creates hands-on learning opportunities for students while helping translate rigorous scholarship into accessible, policy-relevant insights.
Through close mentorship and joint authorship, students work alongside researchers to distill complex evidence, identify actionable implications, and communicate findings to broader policy and practitioner audiences. The initiative strengthens the policy reach of academic work while equipping students with practical skills in research translation and policy writing.
Recent policy briefs produced under this initiative include:
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Welfare Effects of Tuition Price Regulation
Report author: Alejandro Mosquera García | Research author: Advait R. Aiyer
This brief examines how tuition price caps and centralized admissions policies shape access to higher education, influence how students sort across programs, and affect equity and efficiency in college systems. -
Foreign Aid and the Performance of Bureaucrats: Realigning Incentives and Making Foreign Aid Work for State Capacity
Report author: Kyilah Terry | Research author: Maria Nagawa
Drawing on evidence from aid-funded programs, this brief explores how incentive structures influence bureaucratic performance and outlines lessons for designing foreign aid that strengthens domestic public institutions. -
Supporting Early Learning: An Audio-Video Program for Low-Literate Parents of Young Children in Urban India
Report author: Noor Badal Sharma | Research author: Anahita Kumar
This brief synthesizes findings from an intervention providing audio-video parenting support to low-literacy caregivers, highlighting how accessible content can enhance early childhood development and inform scalable policy solutions. -
Strengthening State Legitimacy through Refugee Aid Integration: Evidence from Uganda
Report author: Simranjeet Dhir | Research author: Guy Grossman
To support these efforts, we also have our program manager work on a policy brief that analyzes how integrating refugee assistance into government service delivery systems affects public perceptions of the state, with implications for legitimacy, accountability, and refugee policy design.
We’ll continue to publish new briefs as they are completed. To stay updated, check back on this page for the latest policy briefs and initiative updates.
We’re grateful to the many members of the PDRI-DevLab community who made this initiative possible—student writers, faculty mentors, research authors, staff, and partners who contributed their time and expertise. Their commitment to evidence, clarity, and public impact is what turns strong research into tools that can inform policy and practice.
The Research-to-Policy Student Initiative represents an important step in expanding PDRI-DevLab’s mission to advance evidence-based policymaking while supporting the next generation of researchers and policy professionals.