South Asia Region The South Asia Gender Innovation Lab: Generating Evidence for Improved Operations and Policy Set up in 2014, the South Asia Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) develops and uses robust diagnostic tools to better understand the gender impact of development activities, identify and evaluate innovative mechanisms to enhance gender outcomes, and facilitate their incorporation into policy and operations to address gender inequities in the South Asia region. The core of the South Asia GIL’s work is focused on impact evaluations (IEs) that provide solid empirical evidence on what is and is not effective in reducing gender-based disadvantages across its three thematic pillars: (i) Access to and Use of Infrastructure Services; (ii) Voice and Agency, with a Focus on Gender- based Violence; and (iii) Labor Force Participation and other Aspects of Economic Empowerment. Additionally, the Lab’s IE evaluation work is substantiated and complemented by a wider array of knowledge products, including behavioral analyses, diagnostic work, and inferential research, as well as scoping for IEs and provision of gender technical support to IEs. Identification of Priorities Through Regional Plans Knowledge Gaps Assesment Country-level Dialogue SAR GIL Thematic Pillars Access to and Use of Voice and Agency, with a focus Labor Force Participation and Infrastructure Services on Gender-Based Violence Acess to Economic Opportunities SAR GIL Products Impact Evaluation Impact Evaluation Diagnostic Studies Technical Support Scoping Papers The South Asia GIL is currently overseeing a portfolio comprising a combination of impact evaluations, scoping papers for impact evaluations, diagnostic studies, and technical support to project teams. Moreover, the GIL has two additional sets of activities – one under the South Asia Regional Trade Facilitation Program (SARTFP), which covers Bangladesh, Bhutan, Northeast India and Nepal; and the other to support evaluations of infrastructure projects, which currently are based in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. In December 2016, the South Asia GIL issued its first call for proposals to scope projects for the potential for impact evaluation. This call expanded the number of Global Practices in which the GIL operates to seven, and the number of SAR countries (eight total) to six. Upon completion of the scoping exercise, the team will continue to support projects that go on to undertake full impact evaluations. April 2017 South Asia Region Ongoing Impact Evaluations Northern Areas Reduction of Poverty Initiative (Bangladesh): Evaluates the impact of training programs on women's labor market and other outcomes. Bridges Improvement and Maintenance Program (Nepal): Evaluates the gender disaggregated impacts of improved bridge infrastructure on empowerment and economic opportunities. PMGSY Rural Roads Program (India): Evaluates the impact of introducing a national network of rural roads on women's empowerment. Second Rural Transport Improvement Project (Bangladesh): Evaluates the gender disaggregated impacts of improved rural accessibility and strengthened capacity for rural road maintenance. Telangana Rural Inclusive Growth Project (India): Evaluates the impact of water supply and nutrition interventions on children and pregnant and lactating mothers. Karnataka Urban Water supply Modernization Project (India): Evaluates the impact of 24x7 water supply on urban households, especially women. Punjab Rural Water and Sanitation Program (India): Evaluates the gender-related effects of community driven water schemes. Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Low Income States (India): Evaluates the gender-related impact of rural water supply and sanitation in three low-income Indian states. Impact of Change Management Program in Tamil Nadu (India): Evaluates the effect of the change management training program on service delivery for officials working on the IAM WARM integrated agriculture project, with a focus on women. Analytical Work List Randomization to Measure the Prevalence of Gender-Based Violence in Kerala (India): Using the innovative list randomization technique, this study aims to provide a more accurate measure of the prevalence of domestic violence faced by women in Kerala. Migration and Gender Attitudes in Kerala (India): This study assesses changes in perspectives on gender norms among those who migrate from and return to Kerala, India. An Exploratory Analysis of Gender Attitudes in Tamil Nadu (India): This paper, using survey data of both migrant, on migrant and return migrant households in the southern Indian state, presents a detailed analysis of how gender-related matters are viewed by people in Tamil Nadu. Bangladesh Gender and Social Inclusion Report: This report analyzes key barriers and facilitating factors for women's economic empowerment in Bangladesh. Female Labor Force Participation in India: This report analysis three successive rounds of National Sample Survey Organization data to assess patterns and identify determinants of female labor force participation in India. Getting to Work: Unlocking Women’s Potential in Sri Lanka’s Labor Force (forthcoming, 2017): Analysis of the most recent data from the Sri Lanka Labor Force Survey (LFS) and Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) provides an update to the 2013 policy report, Getting In and Staying In: Increasing Female Labor Force Participation in Sri Lanka. April 2017 South Asia Region Projects in Pipeline for Impact Evaluation and/or Receiving Other Technical Support Bangladesh Regional Connectivity Project: With the objective of improving conditions for trade through enhanced connectivity, reducing logistical bottlenecks, and supporting the adoption of modern approaches to border management and trade facilitation, this project devotes an entire component to reducing relevant gender gaps. Assam Inland Water Transport Project: Aims to (a) improve the passenger and vehicle accessibility across the Brahmaputra and to its islands with ferry System in Assam; and (b) improve the institutional framework and strengthen the capacity of the state institutions, which administer, regulate and provide Inland Water Transport. Mumbai Urban Transport Project III: Aims to improve the passenger carrying capacity, operational efficiency, level of comfort of, and the institutional capacity of entities involved in, the suburban rail system of Mumbai Metropolitan area. Bangladesh Regional Waterway Transport Project 1: Aims to improve Inland Water Transport (IWT) efficiency and safety for passengers and cargo along the Chittagong-Dhaka-Ashuganj Regional Corridor and to enhance sector sustainability. Bangladesh Low Income Community Housing Support Project: Aims to improve housing and living conditions in select low-income and informal settlements in three municipalities: Sirajganj, Comilla and Narayanganj. Sri Lanka Transport Connectivity and Asset Management Project: The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to strengthen the Road Development Authority’s (RDA) capacity for asset management and improve the road service delivery on the selected corridor. Projects Scoped for Impact Evaluation Afghanistan Women's Economic Empowerment: This project involves community-based pilot interventions requested by the Government of Afghanistan for the purpose of informing and contributing to its new Women’s Economic Empowerment National Priority Program Nutrifish: Evaluation of this project, based in Bangladesh and Pakistan, will assist in assessing impact of a daily supplement of a locally produced small fish-based product (in the form of dried small fish), during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and the lactation period on nutritional outcomes for pregnant and lactating women and children (stunting). Pune Metro Rail Project: Aims to improve urban mobility in India’s Pune Metropolitan Region, primarily in terms of travel time, accessibility, and safety along the metro rail corridor. Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project (TNRTP): Targeting a total of 660,000 households in which women are household representatives, it will support around 7,000 entrepreneurs and 260,000 youth for skills enhancement by converging with existing government skilling programs. Tejaswini: Socioeconomic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women: Aims to Improve completion of market-driven skills training and secondary education for adolescent girls and young women in select districts of Jharkhand. Sri Lanka Agriculture Modernization Project: This project will increase agricultural productivity, improve market access, and enhance value addition of smallholder farmers through three components: agricultural value chain development, productivity enhancement and diversity demonstrations, and project management. It also intends to directly improve female empowerment. April 2017