Early development: datasets are live World Bank and Our World in Data seriesevidence4dev.org · v0.1 pre-release
Evidence4Dev

About · Why E4D

Why E4D exists

The case for one shared catalogue of development evidence, in the order it was argued: the gap, what connecting records changes, who it is for, where the data comes from, and what open infrastructure means here.

What E4D connects

Evidence graphLive catalogue
publishescompilesdata ondata forcontainsmeasured incoversincludesmeasuresWorld BankLife expectancyPovertyPoverty headcountratioNigeriaWorld DevelopmentIndicatorsGini indexGhana
Hover or focus a record to trace its connections.
ResearchDatasetProjectIndicatorCountryOrganisationTopic

One record can point to the dataset behind it, the study that used it, the project it describes and the people involved.

The problem

Development evidence is scattered and hard to find.

Evidence sits in journals, ministry archives, NGO evaluations, statistical offices and institutional repositories. It is described differently, stored apart and rarely linked, so the same searches happen again and again.

  • /01ScatteredPapers, reports, evaluations and data live in separate systems, behind different doors.
  • /02InconsistentEach source describes evidence in its own vocabulary and formats.
  • /03DisconnectedResearch is rarely linked to the data, projects and places it concerns.
Academic papersGovernment reportsNGO evaluationsStatistical abstractsProject documentsWorking papersPolicy briefsMicrodata & surveysE4DONE CATALOGUEResearchDatasetsProjectsIndicatorsOrganisationsCountries · Topics

Illustrative: E4D indexes metadata and links every record to its original source.

How E4D connects evidence

Records are linked to their sources.

Each record links to the data behind it, the projects it covers, the organisations involved, and the places and indicators it describes.

built onevaluatescoversimplemented byoperates inmeasuresRESEARCHResearchworking paper · 2024DATASETDatasetsurvey microdataPROJECTProjectsocial protectionINDICATORIndicatorpoverty rateCOUNTRYCountryGhana · GHORGANISATIONOrganisationresearch institute

Hover or focus a record to see how it connects, or use the table below.

Evidence relationships
ConnectionWhat it gives you
ResearchDatasetTrace a finding back to the data behind it.
ResearchProjectSee which programme a study is about.
DatasetCountryCheck whether the evidence matches your setting.
ProjectOrganisationKnow who ran an intervention, and where.
OrganisationCountryFollow an institution’s work across places.
IndicatorCountryGround abstract claims in measured context.

Who it is for

For researchers, students and practitioners.

Researchers

Find studies, datasets and indicators on a topic, with the source and the data behind each one.

Students

Find citable research and open data for coursework, theses and further study.

Practitioners and policymakers

Move from a question to the evidence, the projects behind it, and the data to check it.

Source transparency

Every record shows its source.

Records keep their source, licence and access conditions, so anything on E4D can be traced back to where it came from.

ResearchDemonstration recordE4D-2024-004812 · v3

Income Diversification and Household Resilience in Northern Ghana

Working paper · household study · fielded 2022–2023

Authors
A. Mensah, K. Owusu & J. Addo
Year
2024
Country
Ghana (GH)
Evidence type
Household study
Method
Panel survey analysis
Dataset
Available as a linked record
Source
Institutional repository
Access
Open access
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Authors, title and findings are fictional. The metadata structure is what E4D records.

Datasets ×3

  • National household survey 2023
  • Agricultural panel 2010–2023
  • Market price series, northern markets

Projects ×2

  • Social protection programme
  • Northern rural development programme

Indicators ×4

  • Poverty headcount ratio
  • Cereal yield
  • Primary school enrolment
  • Access to electricity

Open infrastructure

Open where the licence allows.

E4D is public-interest infrastructure. Openness is applied where licences allow and recorded honestly where they do not.

  1. /01Open metadataDescriptions, sources and links are open and reusable by default.
  2. /02Documented APIsThe catalogue is queryable, so others can build on it.
  3. /03Transparent sourcesEvery record names its origin, licence and access conditions.
  4. /04Reusable dataIncluded where licences permit: terms are preserved, not overridden.
  5. /05Reproducible researchStable identifiers and exports support verification and citation.

Open where possible, not open by assertion. Whether an underlying dataset can be downloaded depends on its original licence and access conditions. E4D preserves and displays those terms.

API · illustrative
# illustrative request: demonstration data
GET /v1/records?type=dataset&country=GH&topic=agriculture

{
  "id": "e4d:ds:004812",
  "type": "dataset",
  "title": "National household survey: microdata",
  "country": ["GH"],
  "topics": ["agriculture", "food-security"],
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0",
  "access": "public",
  "source": {
    "repository": "national statistics office",
    "deposited": "2025-03-12",
    "verified": "2025-04-02"
  },
  "links": { "research": 6, "projects": 2, "indicators": 4 }
}

E4D may eventually use AI to help navigate the catalogue, but the foundation is structured metadata, documented sources and human review. It is designed to be useful without it.

Geographic focus

Starting with Africa.

The first collections cover Africa and the Global South. The data model is regional from the start and extends as partner institutions join.

  • Countries54 African countries
  • Indicators140 series from both sources
  • Observations149,381 annual values
  • Period1950 to 2025
  • SourcesWorld Bank WDI · Our World in Data
  • LicenceCC BY 4.0, reuse with attribution
DakarAccraAddis AbabaNairobiJohannesburg

Africa: 54 countries in the snapshot, 1950 to 2025. Reference cities marked.