Local researcher impact
For IGC, a local Principal Investigator is a researcher originally from, or professionally based in, the country of study and who serves in a leading role in project design and implementation. Even in resource-constrained contexts, projects led by these researchers have shaped government decisions and produced peer-reviewed academic scholarship.
Researchers based in developing countries often operate with limited access to funding and international networks, yet they bring deep contextual knowledge and a long-term stake in the issues they study. This shapes the research from the outset, helping to identify the right stakeholders, navigate cultural considerations during data collection, and engage effectively with government counterparts. As a result, IGC-funded projects led by local PIs have informed over 155 policy decisions and led to 62 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Policy impact
Because in-country researchers are embedded in local institutions, their work often extends beyond publication, shaping technical discussions, advising ministries, and contributing to the implementation of reforms. The examples below show how projects led by local PIs have informed major policy decisions.
This project generated rare longitudinal evidence on how extreme flooding affects migration, livelihoods, and welfare among ultra-poor households in Sindh. Findings were shared with the Government of Sindh and implementing agencies and directly informed the design of the Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project. The research data are being used as a baseline for evaluating the project’s cash-for-work and public works programmes, influencing both site selection and evaluation design. This engagement has evolved into an ongoing collaboration, with the research team invited to support impact evaluations of flood rehabilitation programmes, ensuring that evidence from affected communities informs recovery and adaptation efforts.
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The project was designed and delivered in close collaboration with the GRA, including active involvement of its Research Department from inception through dissemination. Findings were formally shared with senior GRA officials and the Ministry of Finance in September 2024 and discussed in a dedicated technical session with GRA staff. Three months later, the GRA shared that the research had informed its understanding of taxpayer behaviour and directly shaped its compliance strategy, particularly through expanded tax education initiatives aimed at reducing inactive taxpayers. Several recommendations from the study have already been incorporated into GRA operational planning, and the Authority has requested an extension of the analysis to additional regions.
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This project was initiated at the request of Ethiopia’s Jobs Creation Commission (JCC) to support the design of a large-scale internship and apprenticeship programme and address fragmented provision across institutions. The study assessed access, effectiveness, and coordination among training providers, industry, and beneficiaries, and identified two binding constraints driving weak school-to-work transitions: coordination failures across stakeholders and limited systems for anticipating skills needs and enabling social dialogue. Findings were presented to JCC senior management in October 2020. In October 2021, senior leadership in the then Ministry of Work and Skills (which runs the JCC) confirmed the IGC-funded work was being used to develop the new internship programme with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, showcasing direct evidence that the research impacted programme design.
The results were actively disseminated to public, private, and civil society stakeholders working on small-firm development and digitisation, including Lagos State agencies, business support organisations, and financial intermediaries. Engagement through a December 2023 dissemination event and follow-on discussions directly informed programme design. Most notably, the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) initiated a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the project’s local partner to integrate record-keeping training into its business support and finance programmes. Under this arrangement, firms completing the training are recognised by LSETF and eligible to apply for loans, creating a concrete link between improved record-keeping and access to credit. You can view government stakeholders discussing the topic in this news video.
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Academic impact
Local PIs have produced research published in peer-reviewed journals across fields in development economics. These projects contribute to international debates while drawing on data, institutions, and policy questions rooted in their home countries. The publications below highlight recent work led by fully local research teams.
Productivity losses and firm responses to electricity shortages: evidence from Ghana
Mission motivation and public sector performance: experimental evidence from Pakistan
A look at Ghana’s housing deficit and quality trends for over 20 years ↗
The economic impact of sustainability standards on smallholder coffee producers: Evidence from Ethiopia
Climate change, food consumption and food security: Evidence from Ghana
Votes for Water: Ethnic Service Delivery and Criminality in Karachi, Pakistan
Curbing Leakage in Public Programs: Evidence from India's Direct Benefit Transfer Policy
