Episode 14 : The middle Road interviews Ronald Abraham, Founding Partner and India Director, IDinsight

Nishant Malhotra, interviews Ronald Abraham, Founding Partner, and India Director IDinsight. IDinsight is a global advisory, data analytics, and research organization that uses data and evidence to help leaders maximize their social impact. Its collaborations deploy a large analytical toolkit, including machine learning and randomized evaluations, to help clients design better policies, rigorously test what works, and use evidence to implement effectively at scale. IDinsight works with multiple sets of actors from the social and business sector and works in all major sectors significantly in health, education, agriculture, governance, digital ID, financial access, and sanitation. They have offices in Dakar, Lusaka, Manila, Nairobi, New Delhi, and San Francisco.

Ronald has led several projects at IDinsight’s unit at NITI Aayog supporting the Aspirational Districts Programme, the State of Aadhar Initiative, learning partnerships with Governments of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, and education projects with STiR, Akanksha, and Going to School. He holds a BA (Honors) from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and a Master of Public Administration in International Development from Harvard Kennedy School.

The podcast is a deep dive into the International Development Sector to understand the best business and sustainable practices governing the sector. The chat revolves around Ronald's work experience in research and as an entrepreneur with a discussion on emerging various impact and data driven methodologies and tools for impact evaluation including use of machine learning and randomized control trials, new social innovation instruments example impact bonds, work during the pandemic, etc. The discussion shares a well-rounded view on how innovation is driving the development sector with a message on key enablers driving the global development arena.