In March, Frédéric Docquier presided over the launch of the Policy Lab, an ambitious new LISER initiative that aims to apply evidence-based research to policymaking. On 23 September, the Policy Lab will host Society in Motion: Science and Tools for Impact, an event which will allow visitors to get a close look at some of the initiative’s powerful tools to make public programmes more impactful and accountable.

Frédéric Docquier started his academic career in 1996 in Lille, France and in 2005 moved to Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. In 2019, he joined the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) to lead Crossing Borders, one of the institute’s three transversal programmes.

“The cross-border mobility of workers affects labour market outcomes, poverty, inequality, and urban concentration — it's a transversal issue that touches on the entire research agenda of our departments,” he explains. As LISER’s collaboration with government ministries deepened, he saw the need for an actual policy lab to go beyond providing descriptive analyses. “Our aim was to focus more on generating robust evidence and causal insights to demonstrate the real effects of public action. In short, we wanted to promote policymaking that is grounded in rigorous research.”

Thus the LISER Policy Lab was created, with Docquier serving as its first Coordinator. Focusing on key areas such as economic development, climate change, public health, digitalisation, housing, education, and social cohesion, it offers invaluable support to decision-makers with high-quality research. Operating through four key stages — policy identification, ex-ante evaluation, impact monitoring, and ex-post evaluation — the Policy Lab ensures that policies are not only effective but also adaptable. The Lab’s commitment to scientific impartiality, transparency, and collaboration with national and international partners reinforces its role as a leader in evidence-based policy development.

Its launch in March of this year was attended by some 300 people including Luxembourg ministers and other public officials as well as Abhijit Banerjee who, along with co-researchers Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, was awarded a 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their randomised control trials (RCTs). These trials, which in essence apply a scientific approach to humanitarian programmes, have proven to be a valuable tool in the drive to alleviate global poverty.

Testing Policies for Real-World Impact

Docquier and those working alongside him in the Policy Lab understand that this highly effective approach can be applied to a wide range of policy areas, from labour, immigration, and housing to inequality, climate change, and health. LISER is currently carrying out around 35 policy-oriented projects, and Docquier hopes that this number will continue to grow as the Policy Lab earns the trust of officials and demonstrates its worth to policymakers.

As impactful as the Policy Lab’s work is, convincing policymakers is not always a straightforward task. The first step, Docquier says, is to build credibility and gain the trust of advisers — and ultimately the ministers themselves. The Lab does this by first producing benchmarking analyses, literature reviews, and descriptive analyses of a given issue. Once the policymakers are on board, the Lab then helps to identify a suitable policy — whether inspired by successful international examples, aligned with public preferences, or developed in consultation with experts — and evaluates its effectiveness.

The Policy Lab also tests policies with pilot interventions — small-scale programmes which all aim to achieve a result. These pilots are closely monitored, and their efficacy is rigorously measured. The one that is determined to be the most efficient, both in cost-effectiveness and in terms of results achieved, is implemented on a wider scale. Because even the most carefully evaluated and selected programme might not meet expectations or may produce unintended effects, the Policy Lab conducts ex-post evaluations in order to refine them as needed.

Docquier envisions a future in which the Lab works closely with policymakers from the onset in order to help to test and craft the most effective programmes. “Policymakers have many levers at their disposal, but as researchers, we rarely have ready-made solutions — which is precisely why testing is essential.”

Society in Motion

Docquier and his colleagues are excitedly preparing for Society in Motion: Science and Tools for Impact. This day-long event, which will be held on 23 September at the ECCL (European Convention Center Luxembourg), will showcase the tools LISER offers to foster societal impact and support better policies, and it will feature panel discussions on key areas including poverty, housing, the labour market, pensions, and data science.

Policymakers, civil servants, and academics — as well as individuals from NGOs and associations that support policymaking — are warmly invited to attend. Concerned citizens and those interested in evidence-based policymaking are also encouraged to join.

“With shrinking budgets, the time to think about efficiency, evidence-based policies, and how to ensure that taxpayers’ money is well spent is now,” Docquier says.

You can learn more about the LISER Policy Lab here liser.lu/policy-lab.

To secure a spot at Society in Motion: Science and Tools for Impact on 23 September, visit liser.lu/events/society-in-motion.