How to know what works in alleviating poverty: Learning from experimental approaches in qualitative research

Experimental studies of poverty alleviation have stimulated an interdisciplinary discussion on whatconstitutes robust evidence to inform policy and benefit the poor. These studies emphasize researchtransparency and reporting standards, pre-registration, data sharing, replication and aggregated evi-dence. Though imperfect, such practices help to identify what works under what conditions. We arguethat researchers should also explore how similar practices could be tailored for qualitative researchon the politics of poverty alleviation. We outline a research framework motivated by the experiment-focused Metaketa initiative that incorporates the strengths of qualitative inquiry. We present theeleven pillars of a qualitative Metaketa.