Développement, Institutions & Analyses de Long Terme (DIAL)

Paris-based DIAL (Développement, Institutions & Analyses de Long Terme) was created in 1990. This public research centre focuses on research and statistical analysis of development policies.

DIAL is the result of a partnership between the Institute for Development Research (IRD) and the French Development Agency (AFD). It is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (General Direction of International Cooperation and Development) and the Ministry of Economy and Finances (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies). DIAL includes a research unit of IRD, with research branches in Senegal (Dakar University) and soon also in Bamako, Mali, and Hanoi, Vietnam.

DIAL is composed of a multi-disciplinary team of economists, demographers, and statisticians who are investigating the links between the demo-economic development process, resource distribution and state intervention. In the research process, production of statistics on priority issues, in-depth analysis of the collected data, and evaluation of economic policies are closely associated.

The institution’s current research programme (2005-2008) follows three principal areas:

  • Genesis of inequalities and poverty, including the dynamics of poverty, job market and social mobility, rural dynamics, multiple dimensions of poverty, and the impact of economic policies on distribution;

  • o Governance, institutions and long-term distribution of resources, including participation, identities and construction of the State, and a historical perspective of resource distribution in Africa. In this context, within the framework of Metagora, DIAL assists with and coordinates the implementation of modules on governance, democracy, and subjective poverty in francophone Africa and in the Andean Community; and,

  • Aid, international strategies and global inequalities, including development aid policies, and monitoring and evaluating new international strategies in the fight against poverty.
The DIAL has been involved in the Metagora pilot project through the implementation of two multi-country regional activities, conducted on the basis of the 1-2-3 survey methodology that they have developed over the years. Thirteen National Statistical Agencies were involved in French-speaking Africa and in the Andean region. These regional activities explore the possibilities of using official household surveys as a tool for measuring issues related to governance, subjective poverty, and democratic participation.

For further information regarding DIAL or its participation in the Metagora project, please consult the web site of the organisation at www.dial.prd.fr or the Metagora Synthesis Report.