Empowering the next generation of policymakers, decision-makers, and the academic network with tools to innovate, test, and scale effective social policies and programs, aiming to improve the lives of billions of people around the world. This is the mission of the Alliance for Data, Evaluation, and Policy Training (ADEPT), a global initiative created by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), established in 2003 in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

 

Since 2021, the Latin America and Caribbean office of J-PAL, J-PAL LAC, has operated in Brazil as a result of a partnership with Insper. Therefore, it is only natural to have the support of the Brazilian institution to bring ADEPT to the country.

 

The launch took place on March 25th at Insper, with the participation of Esther Duflo, Nobel Prize in Economics 2019 and J-PAL co-founder. “It is very special and exciting for me to launch ADEPT in Brazil. The initiative represents an ambitious legacy,” she stated during the event — which can be viewed in its entirety on YouTube. “When we created J-PAL, we were eight affiliates with the goal of impacting 100 million people. Today we are close to reaching one billion,” Duflo emphasized.

 

 

Promising partnership

 

“We are part of a global network of campuses and partners committed to training the next generation of professionals dedicated to research or public policies based on data and evidence,” describes Paula Pedro, Executive Director of J-PAL LAC.

 

“Human capital formation is essential for this sector, and the partnership with Insper is promising in this regard. The institution has innovative public policy leadership training in its DNA and is fully capable of bringing ADEPT to Brazil,” says Cristine Pinto, Dean of Research and Graduate Education at Insper.

 

The partnership further strengthens the bond between the institutions and reinforces Insper's commitment to offering cutting-edge training for the next generation of public policy makers, decision-makers, and researchers, adds Carolina Melo, Program Director of the M.Sc. in Public Policies (MPP) at Insper. 

 

“The training offered by the Alliance will equip these people with the necessary tools and motivation to innovate, test, and expand effective public policies and programs,” says Melo. “The partnership demonstrates the trust of J-PAL and MIT in the work that Insper has already been developing in Brazil.”

 

 

Programs aligned with the strategy

 

“ADEPT aims to train researchers, decision-makers, and evidence-based public policy makers, considering the distinct realities between the Global North and South,” describes Ivan Brant, senior public policy associate at J-PAL and M.Sc. in Public Policy (MPP) from Insper. “Based on our long-standing partnership with Insper, we will gradually offer programs. We intend to work with other educational institutions as well, but Insper is the first to bring the program to Brazil. Once again, it is pioneering J-PAL's proposal for Latin America.”

 

The program already has a notable presence, for example, in Ivory Coast, which has become a success story due to a successful partnership with the École Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d'Economie Appliquée (ENSEA), a public institution dedicated to training public officials. “The partnership with J-PAL and participation in ADEPT puts us in a position to further elevate the standards of the courses we offer and provide degrees validated by an institution as relevant as MIT,” stated Hugues Kouadio, director of ENSEA, during the event.

 

Expectations for Brazil are also high. At Insper, it is expected that ADEPT will inspire the gradual creation of new programs, starting with executive education, with the potential to become elective courses in the M.Sc. in Public Policy (MPP) — and, in the future, give rise to an intensive format MPP at Insper and an opportunity to apply for the DEDP master's program at MIT.

 

There is no shortage of training options. J-PAL developed the MicroMasters in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP), an online program that can be used to accelerate graduate studies at more than 15 universities, including the on-campus DEDP master's program at MIT. “We have eight online courses, which will be adapted to the Brazilian reality, and the idea is that Insper will be the home of this program in Brazil, as we have all the conditions to connect our international programs with the institution's proposal,” says Ivan Brant.

 

“If students complete the five courses that make up one of the two tracks of J-PAL's MicroMasters in partnership with MIT Open Learning, they will receive two credentials — one from Insper and another from MIT Open Learning. They will also receive a certificate for each course successfully completed,” explains Carolina Melo. “The courses will have a high level of demand, compatible with our graduate programs. Thus, the DEDP courses offered through our partnership with ADEPT can also be used in our master's and Doctoral Program. In particular, the courses have great synergy with our M.Sc. In Public Policy (MPP) and with the Public Policy track of our Doctoral Program in Business Administration.”

 

 

Access to knowledge

 

All this training movement is the result of the influence of Esther Duflo, who received the Nobel prize alongside Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer. “These researchers not only propelled a methodology for evaluating the impact of public policies but also turned this proposal into an influential movement across the globe, in a decentralized manner and taking into account the characteristics of each region,” says Paula Pedro. 

 

By bringing ADEPT to Brazil, J-PAL distributes knowledge according to different regional demands. Consequently, professors will have access to a broader repertoire of teaching methodologies and classroom dynamics to teach policymakers, decision-makers, and researchers, lists Carolina Melo. 

 

“Researchers will be able to gain new practical research skills and/or strengthen existing skills, gaining more autonomy in using theory and applied tools for conducting cutting-edge research and for knowledge replication. And students will have the chance to experience an innovative learning environment without having to leave 'home,'” says Melo.