How institutions are embedding new tools and approaches

Policy decisions are often judged by their outcomes: new programmes, new services, and new investments. Less visible are the tools, data, and institutional routines that shape how those decisions are made. In 2025, UNU-WIDER’s work contributed to changes in how public institutions use evidence in routine planning and decision-making. In several contexts, analytical tools and data are increasingly being integrated into regular processes rather than applied on an ad hoc basis. UNU-WIDER engages with institutions through long-term partnerships, combining technical collaboration with sustained advisory support. This approach builds trust, shared goals, and aligned priorities, empowering policymakers to navigate complex economic landscapes. What emerges is not just better analysis, but stronger systems for using it. Embedding poverty analysis into planning in Mozambique In Mozambique, this shift was visible in how poverty itself was measured and used in national planning and budgeting. Through the Inclusive growth in Mozambique (IGM) programme, UNU-WIDER worked with government counterparts to update official poverty measures, including monetary poverty rates and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), and to align them with national data systems. The updated poverty figures are no longer only statistical outputs. They are embedded in the National Development Strategy (ENDE) 2025–2044 and in annual Social and Economic Plans and Budgets, creating a shared analytical foundation for understanding poverty patterns and guiding resource allocation. Macroeconomic planning has followed a similar trajectory. The Quadro Macro model, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Development, is now used to produce projections for ENDE 2025–2044 and medium-term fiscal frameworks. Embedding the model in national planning processes and building internal capacity to run and adapt it improved the credibility and ownership of fiscal assumptions used in policy discussions.