International Center Topic Area: Health

TOPIC AREAS: Health

We are working on a number of health-focused interventions, including programs seeking to reduce infant mortality and morbidity; to enhance maternal and child nutrition, water and sanitation programs; and to stimulate the demand for health services.

Examples of Projects

Measurement, Learning, and Evaluation for the Family Health Initiative in Bihar, India (Ananya Program). Mathematica is developing and executing the measurement, learning, and evaluation (MLE) of the Ananya program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Bihar, India. The goals of the Ananya program are to reduce maternal, neonatal, and child mortality; malnutrition; fertility; and morbidity from infectious diseases. Mathematica and its partners’ MLE activities include an impact analysis, a process and scale-up evaluation, a cost effectiveness study, and randomized control trials of two innovative solutions. Read more.
Strengthening Performance Monitoring, Impact Assessment, and Program Implementation for Total Sanitation and Sanitation Marketing in Indonesia. Mathematica conducted a retrospective implementation study on the Total Sanitation and Sanitation Marketing (TSSM) program, which was designed to strengthen the supply of and demand for sanitation and improve the enabling environment for sanitation interventions. Mathematica’s study sought to understand how the TSSM program was implemented in East Java, Indonesia, learn more about how program monitoring data were collected, and reconcile some apparent discrepancies between program monitoring data and impact evaluation data involving program progress. Read more.
Tanzania Energy Sector Impact Evaluation and Implementation Services. We designed a rigorous evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Account’s initiative to improve living standards and reduce poverty in Tanzania by investing $207 million to improve energy-related infrastructure. In addition to designing an impact analysis of the a new submarine cable to provide a more reliable source of electricity to Unguja Island and activities involving the rehabilitation and extension of electrical lines, Mathematica designed an impact evaluation of a pilot program to provide subsidized electricity connections to clusters of households. Read more.
Cocoa Livelihoods Program Evaluation and Baseline Data Collection (Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon).The Cocoa Livelihoods Program provides a range of interventions to increase the incomes of households in the cocoa-producing areas of five West and Central African countries. During the first year of the evaluation, the study design was finalized with all stakeholders. Mathematica collected baseline data in four of the five program countries on four key outcomes: cocoa production and productivity, income, schooling, and nutrition. The baseline memo assessed the comparability of the treatment and control groups and informed gender analyses of interest to the World Cocoa Foundation.
Consulting Services for Harvard Graduate School of Education to Evaluate Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), a Pre-School Program in Chile. Mathematica provided evaluation consultation to the Harvard Graduate School of Education for the evaluation of the Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), a program that aims to strengthen language, literacy, and health teaching practices in preschool education in Chile. The intervention consisted of a six-month professional development program implemented in 64 schools in low-income areas. Mathematica’s work included study design, instrument design, data collection plans, implementation monitoring and presentation of findings.
Impact Evaluation of Jamaica’s Social Safety Net Reform. Mathematica conducted an evaluation of the Programme for Advancement Through Health & Education (PATH), a conditional cash transfer program aimed at alleviating poverty and increasing the human capital of poor households in Jamaica. The evaluation included implementation and impact analyses. Mathematica also provided technical assistance in instrumental development and field procedures to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica and training to local partners in impact evaluation and implementation studies.