Embedding Research into Public Sector Programs

Governments serve as the backbone of service delivery worldwide, playing an important role in the daily lives of billions of people. This article details why it can be important for researchers to work with governments to conduct policy-relevant research. To illustrate this point, the author highlights personal experiences from a study on the take-up of government health insurance in Indonesia, a study on the shift from in-kind transfers to food stamps in Indonesia, and two studies in India that were designed to address worker absenteeism in the public and non-profit sectors.