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Protik Ali

Pronouns: He/Him

Principal Research Scientist
Protik specializes in the design and implementation of impact and performance evaluations of international development programs and policies.

Protik is an evaluation specialist whose work focuses on several areas of international development including democracy, human rights, and governance; land formalization; agriculture; education; and energy. Protik is an experienced project manager, who leads teams consisting of researchers from around the world to provide research and learning support to local and international policymakers. An economist by training, Protik has designed and implemented several experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluations, participated in mixed-methods performance evaluations, and conducted cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses.

Protik currently directs the USAID Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance – Learning, Evaluation, and Research Activity II (DRG-LER II), under which NORC has 88 projects in 41 countries. He oversees the entire portfolio of research and provides technical guidance and oversight to all project teams, consisting of NORC in-house researchers, academic experts, international and in-country consultants, and data collection partners. Protik also directs a project on Women’s Political Participation and Leadership (WPPL) to assess the state of WPPL and the social and cultural constraints that inhibit them in countries where USAID works. NORC developed an assessment framework under his leadership that is intended to be a standard assessment tool for use by USAID and all their country Missions across the globe. Protik also leads several evaluations in different areas of international development at NORC. He currently leads an evaluation of a USDA-funded project aimed at improving food safety standards in Egypt and a USAID-funded land formalization program in Colombia. In addition, Protik provided technical leadership for USAID-funded impact evaluations in Bangladesh (combatting violent extremism), Cambodia (counter-trafficking in persons), the DRC (community-based trauma healing), and Tanzania (training for journalism students).

Prior to working at NORC, Protik directed a USAID-funded literacy project in Rwanda and co-led the impact analyses of USAID-funded school dropout prevention programs in India, Cambodia, Tajikistan and Timor-Leste. In addition, Protik has been involved in an impact evaluation of a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)-funded “girl-friendly” school construction program in rural Burkina Faso and of MCC’s energy sector projects in Liberia and Tanzania. He has also been involved in the design and impact analysis of an intervention providing financial incentives for high-performing teachers to move to low-achieving schools in selected U.S school districts.

Project Contributions

Communications, Evidence & Learning Project

Strengthening the evidence base for effective land and resource governance

Client:

U.S. Agency for International Development

Democracy, Human Rights & Governance: Learning, Evaluation & Research Activity

Generating and promoting the use of data, evidence, and learning to inform DRG programming worldwide

Client:

U.S. Agency for International Development

Evaluating USAID’s Counter-Trafficking Efforts in Cambodia

NORC assesses whether job programs can reduce labor trafficking

Client:

U.S. Agency for International Development

Road to Tolerance Bangladesh Impact Evaluation

Assessing efforts to combat violent extremism among university students

Client:

U.S. Agency for International Development

Ukraine Civil Society Assessment

A post-Euromaidan examination of Ukraine’s civil sector

Client:

U.S. Agency for International Development

Women’s Political Participation and Leadership

Enhancing USAID’s understanding of women’s political participation and leadership around the globe

Client:

U.S. Agency for International Development