Eva Vivalt

Vivalt received a Ph.D. in Economics and an M.A. in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.Phil. in Development Studies at the University of Oxford.

Before joining the University of Toronto, she held positions at Australian National University, Stanford University, New York University, and the World Bank.{{cite web | title = CV | url = http://evavivalt.com/wp-content/uploads/CV_Vivalt.pdf | access-date = 2021-02-15}}

Vivalt's main research interests are the study of obstacles to evidence-based policy decisions. She also has interests in developmental economics, behavioral economics and effective altruism.

She is a principal investigator on Y Combinator Research’s basic income study.{{cite web | title = Y Combinator Research| url = https://basicincome.ycr.org/| access-date = 2019-07-01}}{{Cite web |title=Basic Income {{!}} OpenResearch |url=https://www.openresearchlab.org/basic-income |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=www.openresearchlab.org}}

She is considered an expert on evidence aggregation and the use of Bayesian hierarchical models{{cite web |title=Evidence Aggregation and External Validity |url=http://yrise.yale.edu/evidence-aggregation-and-external-validity/ |access-date=2019-07-05}} and is known for her work on metascience.{{cite web |title=Metascience 2019 Symposium |url=https://www.metascience2019.org/special-guests/Eva-Vivalt/ |access-date=2019-07-05}}

Research on the external validity of impact evaluations

Vivalt is known for her work on the external validity of impact evaluations.{{Cite web |title=Is ‘evidence-based development’ writing a cheque its methodology can’t cash? |url=https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/eva-vivalt-social-science-generalizability/ |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=80,000 Hours |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Matthews |first=Dylan |date=2015-08-04 |title=Don't teach a man to fish. Just give him the goddamn fish. |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/8/4/9096899/cash-teach-fish |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=Vox |language=en}}

As a basis for this work, she built a large database of impact evaluations in global development. She found that most development interventions cannot be distinguished from one another in terms of the impacts that they have on a particular outcome{{Citation | last = Vivalt | first = Eva | title = Heterogeneous Treatment Effects in Impact Evaluation| journal = American Economic Review| volume = 105 | issue = 5 | pages = 467–470 | date = 2015 | doi = 10.1257/aer.p20151015 | url = https://www.aeaweb.org/aer/ds/10505/P2015_1015_ds.zip }} and that effect sizes greatly vary within a particular intervention-outcome combination.{{Citation | last = Vivalt | first = Eva | title = How Much Can We Generalize from Impact Evaluations? | journal = Journal of the European Economic Association | date = 2019 }}

Her work in this area has been cited by Angus Deaton, Lant Pritchett, and other leading economists{{Citation | last1 = Deaton | first1 = Angus | last2 = Cartwright | first2 = Nancy | title = Understanding and misunderstanding randomized controlled trials | journal = Social Science & Medicine | volume = 210 | pages = 2–21 | date = August 2018 | doi = 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.12.005 | pmid = 29331519 | pmc = 6019115 | url = http://dro.dur.ac.uk/23782/2/23782.pdf }} and has entered the public discourse.{{cite web | last = Pritchett | first = Lant | title = Is Your Impact Evaluation Asking Questions That Matter? A Four Part Smell Test | url = https://www.cgdev.org/blog/your-impact-evaluation-asking-questions-matter-four-part-smell-test | access-date = 2019-07-05 }}, {{cite book | last = Leigh | first = Andrew | title = Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Are Changing Our World | publisher = Yale University Press | location = New Haven | date = 2018 | isbn = 978-0300236125}}

In 2019, together with Stefano DellaVigna and Devin Pope, Vivalt launched Social Science Prediction Platform, a tool that enables researchers to forecast the results of ongoing studies in the social sciences.{{Citation | last1 = DellaVigna | first1 = Stefano | last2 = Pope | first2 = Devin | last3 = Vivalt | first3 = Eva | title = Predict science to improve science | journal = Science | volume = 366 | pages = 428–429 | date = 25 Oct 2019 | issue = 6464 | doi = 10.1126/science.aaz1704| pmid = 31649186 | bibcode = 2019Sci...366..428D | s2cid = 204882061 }} Her research on impact evaluation has been covered by The Washington Post,{{Citation | last = Matthews | first = Dylan | title = The Wonkblog Guide to Holiday Giving | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = 2013-12-26 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/12/26/the-wonkblog-guide-to-holiday-giving-2/| access-date = 2019-07-01}} Vox,{{Citation | last = Matthews | first = Dylan | title = Don't teach a man to fish. Just give him the goddamn fish | newspaper = Vox | date = 2015-08-04 | url = https://www.vox.com/2015/8/4/9096899/cash-teach-fish| access-date = 2019-07-01}} The Atlantic,{{Citation | last = Yong | first = Ed | title = Make Science More Reliable, Win Cash Prizes| newspaper = The Atlantic| date = 2015-12-10| url = https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/12/make-science-more-reliable-win-cash-prizes/419781/| access-date = 2019-07-01}} and other publications.

Vivalt is a member of Giving What We Can, a community of people who have pledged to donate 10% of their income to the world's most effective charitable organisations.{{cite web | title = Members | url = https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/about-us/members/ | access-date = 14 October 2019}}

Vivalt married American economist Gabriel Carroll in August 2019.

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• [https://evavivalt.com/ Official website]

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Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford

Category:Academic staff of the Australian National University

Category:Canadian economists

Category:People from Toronto

Category:UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)