Data for effective policy roundtable
The International Growth Centre (IGC) at the London School of Economics hosts a high-level, invitation-only roundtable on “Data for Effective Policy.” This event brings together senior government officials, funders, and leading researchers to confront one of the most pressing challenges in development today: how to translate abundant but underutilised data into actionable public policy.
Jonathan Leape
Executive Director, IGC and Associate Professor of Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Claire Melamed
Chief Executive Officer, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
Omar Fanek
Director, Reform Secretariat, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Jordan
Tim Dobermann
Research Director, International Growth Centre
Shahrukh Wani
Senior Country Manager, Zambia, International Growth Centre
Salma Shaheen
Country Economist, Jordan, International Growth CentreAs governments across low- and middle-income countries expand their digital systems and embrace new technologies, the opportunity to embed data into everyday governance has never been greater. From streamlining service delivery to informing long-term planning, better use of data can significantly enhance the effectiveness, responsiveness, and inclusiveness of policy. Yet many countries continue to face systemic barriers—ranging from limited technical capacity and fragmented systems to the political economy of data ownership and use.
This roundtable is designed as a practical conversation focused on problem-solving. Drawing on global examples and front-line experience, participants explore how administrative data can be repurposed across the policy lifecycle, how data governance can be improved, and how investments in training, infrastructure, and research partnerships can create more effective systems. The event also examines the role of emerging tools such as artificial intelligence, and how they can be responsibly deployed to enhance the use and quality of official statistics.
The discussion is structured around six core themes:
- Unlocking administrative data
- Improving data access and quality
- Building technical capacity
- Leveraging AI
- Strengthening research ecosystems
- Sustaining political and financial support
Each session invites participants to share concrete strategies and institutional lessons that have worked—and critically, to reflect on how these can be adapted to diverse political and economic contexts.
By convening this group of decision-makers, funders, and researchers, the IGC aims to support a more coordinated, forward-looking approach to data for development. The roundtable will contribute to a broader global agenda to move beyond isolated interventions, helping embed data into the core of policymaking in ways that endure beyond election cycles, donor projects, or technical pilots.
For details please contact Shahrukh Wani at [email protected].