Our evidence engine. Rigorous, independent impact evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis that helps institutions know what works and what it costs.
Ensuring AI Delivers Real Impact per Resource Invested
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how governments govern, how businesses grow, and how societies solve problems. Yet the governance structures, evaluation frameworks, and safety standards needed to ensure AI delivers real benefit and not harm remain almost entirely absent across the developing world. Kernel fills that gap.
Kernel applies its core model of rigorous evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, and decision-focused research to ensure AI works in real-world, resource-constrained environments. AI is not an exception to Kernel's model. It is where rigorous evidence and cost-effectiveness matter most.
Pillar 01
AI Evaluation
We apply rigorous causal methods to AI deployments in public services. generating evidence on whether AI systems deliver measurable impact for the populations they are meant to serve, and at what cost.
Pillar 02
AI Safety & Risk
We assess AI systems for risks specific to development contexts. where data gaps, institutional constraints, and accountability deficits create harm profiles that standard safety frameworks do not capture.
Pillar 03
AI Governance & Policy
We build institutional capacity for responsible AI governance. designing regulatory approaches, procurement standards, and accountability mechanisms tailored to developing-country policy environments.
Pillar 04
AI Practitioners Programme
We equip policymakers, analysts, and civil servants with the technical literacy and evaluation skills to understand, scrutinise, and govern AI systems. building the in-country capacity the AI transition demands.
Kernel Academy
Building Human Capital. Creating Careers.
Millions of graduates in the developing world face a wall of unemployment. not from lack of talent, but from a broken bridge between education and economic participation. Kernel Academy builds that bridge.
The developing world does not lack entrepreneurs. It lacks structured capital, mentorship, and market access that turns early-stage ideas into businesses that survive, scale, and employ others.
Three commitments that set Kernel apart from every other research and development institute.
Impact-First, Always
Every study we undertake is anchored to a clear impact question. We do not produce research that sits on a shelf. Evidence that does not change decisions is not evidence. It is expensive documentation.
Rigorous & Independent
We apply rigorous research methods without bias, following the data wherever it leads, especially when findings challenge expectations. Our independence is absolute and our methods are transparent.
Cost-Effectiveness is Our Core
We do not stop at "Did it work?" We ask "Was it worth it and is there a higher-return alternative?" Cost-effectiveness is our decision framework, not an add-on, delivering real results backed by evidence.
Our Expertise
Eight Areas of Specialisation.
Across thousands of studies, evaluations, and policy engagements, we have built deep expertise in the areas that matter most for developing economies. Can't see your sector? Get in touch.
01
AI & Digital Transformation
Evaluating what AI delivers. and governing it responsibly
Find out more →
02
Education
From early childhood to workforce. evidence for what works
Find out more →
03
Behavioural Science & Nudge Design
Low-cost, high-impact behaviour change that scales
Find out more →
04
Governance
Strengthening institutions, accountability, and public performance
Find out more →
05
Agriculture
Identifying which investments raise farmer incomes. and by how much
Find out more →
06
Quality Jobs
Building pathways from education to dignified, sustained employment
Find out more →
07
Health
Cost-effective health systems. from primary care to public health
Find out more →
08
Fragility, Conflict & Violence
Evidence-based programming in the world's most difficult contexts
Find out more →
Ready to Maximize Your Impact?
Whether you are a government, development organisation, funder, or entrepreneur. Kernel has a place for you.
Kernel Research
The Evidence Engine. Rigorous. Independent. Decision-Ready.
Institutions invest billions in programmes and policies every year and most cannot answer the two most important questions: Did it work? Was it worth it? Kernel Research exists to answer those questions with precision.
What We Do
We combine rigorous evaluation with cost-effectiveness to show institutions where to invest for maximum return.
We combine rigorous impact evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, economic research, and behavioural science to determine what works, what it costs, and where resources should be concentrated for maximum return.
In every engagement we answer three non-negotiable questions: Did it work? What did it cost per outcome? And is there a better alternative? These questions change how budgets are built and how decisions are made.
Three Questions
Every Engagement. No Exceptions.
Kernel Institute always answers these three questions. Knowing that something worked without knowing what it cost is only half the answer.
Question 01
Did it work?
We establish causal impact using the most rigorous methods available. RCTs, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, and propensity score matching. We answer not just whether it worked, but for whom and under what conditions.
Question 02
What did it cost per outcome?
We calculate cost-effectiveness ratios, cost per unit of impact, and Social Return on Investment. Every evaluation includes a resource-allocation recommendation. Evidence without cost context is incomplete guidance.
Question 03
Is there a better alternative?
We compare interventions, rank options by return on investment, and guide resources to where the next unit of spending delivers the greatest measurable impact. That question changes everything about how budgets are allocated.
Core Services
What Kernel Delivers
Service 01
Data Collection
Impact starts with the right data. We design and execute data collection systems built from the outset to answer cost-effectiveness questions.
Household and enterprise surveys
Preference elicitation studies
Citizen voice and satisfaction surveys
Rapid mobile data collection
Baseline and endline survey design
Service 02
Impact Evaluation
We establish causal evidence of what your programme actually caused, paired with cost-effectiveness analysis in every engagement.
At Kernel, cost-effectiveness is not an add-on. It is the decision framework. We calculate cost per outcome and compare interventions by return on investment.
Cost-effectiveness ratios comparing interventions
Value-for-money across Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Equity
Marginal cost-effectiveness analysis
Economic and Social Return on Investment
Budget impact and resource optimisation
The Kernel Decision Cycle
Five Integrated Phases
Our methodology defines how we approach every engagement. from problem diagnosis to scaled, evidence-based solutions. These five phases are not sequential steps but an integrated cycle of learning and improvement.
01
Diagnose the Problem
We begin by clearly defining the decision challenge and understanding its root causes. Through evidence mapping, diagnostics, and stakeholder engagement, we identify what is really driving the challenge, what constraints exist, and where opportunities lie.
We design solutions grounded in economic theory, behavioural insights, and global best practice. adapted to local context, institutional capacity, and resource constraints. Every solution includes cost-effectiveness analysis before committing resources.
Good ideas do not always translate into good outcomes. We pilot and rigorously test interventions to generate credible evidence of what works, for whom, and under what conditions. This test-before-scale approach reduces risk and improves outcomes.
Knowing that something works is not enough. you need to know if it was worth it. We evaluate both outcomes and costs to help institutions allocate resources where they generate the greatest social and economic return.
Methods: causal impact evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, value-for-money assessment, Social Return on Investment, performance dashboards
05
Learn, Adapt, and Scale
Evidence is only valuable if it leads to better decisions. Kernel supports institutions to establish learning systems, refine programmes based on what the data shows, and scale interventions that deliver proven, cost-effective results.
PDF. Kernel Decision Cycle: Full Methodology Guide
Commission a Study
Whether you need impact evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, or economic research. Kernel delivers evidence that changes decisions.
Kernel Academy
School for Jobs and Entrepreneurship.
The developing world produces millions of graduates every year. Too many walk out of university into a wall of unemployment. not because they lack talent or ambition, but because the bridge between education and economic participation has never been properly built. Kernel Academy builds that bridge.
Why We Exist
The Human Capital Crisis No One is Talking About
Across the developing world, unemployment rates among university graduates are reaching crisis levels. The problem is not a shortage of young talent. It is a structural failure to connect that talent to the global economy.
Kernel Academy was built to solve this. We equip graduates with the human capital, global market connections, practical skills, and structured pathways they need to earn, build, and lead in the modern economy.
We do not just train people. We connect them to opportunities. And we track every outcome, because we are a research institute that holds itself to the same standards of evidence we demand of others.
Employment & Human Capital
Why Jobs. Why Now.
The highest-return investment in the developing world right now is not infrastructure or policy reform. It is unlocking the economic potential of educated, ambitious, and underemployed graduates. Human capital is the most underfunded asset in development economics. Employment is how that capital pays dividends for entire communities.
Jobs & Employment
We focus obsessively on job outcomes. first job placement rates, income levels, sector entry, and long-term career progression. A programme that does not produce employment is not a success, regardless of how well-designed it is.
Human Capital Formation
We build the skills, networks, and professional identities that employers and clients demand but universities rarely provide. practical communication, digital proficiency, professional presence, and global market awareness.
Business Creation
For graduates with entrepreneurial ambition, we provide structured pathways into business ownership. from idea validation through funding readiness to market entry. Every business created employs more people than one.
Programmes
What Kernel Academy Offers
Track 01
Career Launch
A structured programme that bridges the gap between your degree and your first job. Career Launch provides the skills, networks, and connections that universities do not teach but employers demand.
CV, portfolio, and LinkedIn development for global markets
Interview preparation and professional communication coaching
Internship placements and job matching with regional and international employers
Sector-specific bootcamps in data, research, policy, finance, and business
Employer outreach and graduate recruitment pipelines
Track 02
Entrepreneurship Track
A 12-week intensive programme for graduates with a business idea and the determination to build it. Provides structured mentorship, business development support, and direct connections to seed funding.
12-week structured business development programme
One-to-one mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs
Financial modelling, pitch development, and investor readiness
Access to seed grants and development funding
Demo Day. live pitch event connecting graduates to investors
Track 03
Global Market Connections
The most valuable thing Kernel Academy provides is not a certificate. it is a connection. We link graduates directly to global markets, international employers, and cross-border business opportunities.
Connections to international employers and remote work opportunities
Export-readiness and global market access training
Cross-border peer networks and alumni chapters
Annual Kernel Academy Summit. graduates, employers, and investors
Apply to Kernel Academy
Kernel Academy is open to university graduates entering the job market, young professionals looking to pivot, graduate entrepreneurs with a business idea, and employers and funders looking to invest in the talent pipeline of the developing world.
Kernel Accelerator
Seed. Grow. Employ. Three Words. One Promise.
The developing world does not lack entrepreneurs. It lacks the structured capital, mentorship, and market access that turns early-stage ideas into businesses that survive, scale, and employ others. Kernel Accelerator provides exactly that.
Why We Built This
The Missing Infrastructure for Entrepreneurship
Across the developing world, early-stage ventures fail not because founders lack drive or ideas, but because the support infrastructure that accelerates businesses in wealthier markets simply does not exist at home.
Kernel Accelerator deploys seed capital, structured mentorship, and investor connections to the developing world's most promising early-stage entrepreneurs, modelled on the best venture philanthropy and accelerator programmes globally.
The ultimate measure of our success is not revenue or valuation. It is jobs. We track employment creation across every venture we support and report publicly on the number of dignified jobs our portfolio has created.
The Accelerator Model
Three Phases. One Journey.
01
Seed: Where It Begins
We identify high-potential early-stage entrepreneurs through a competitive application process. Selected ventures receive seed funding, a structured 90-day acceleration programme, and access to Kernel's full network of mentors, advisors, and investors.
Competitive application and selection process
Seed grants for qualifying ventures
90-day intensive acceleration programme
Business model validation and financial modelling support
02
Grow: Scale What Works
Ventures that complete the Seed phase enter the Grow programme, a 12-month supported scaling track with ongoing mentorship, performance monitoring, and access to follow-on funding from Kernel's investor network.
Ongoing mentorship from sector-specialist advisors
Monthly performance reviews against agreed milestones
Access to follow-on funding from investor and donor network
Market access support through regional expansion and export readiness
03
Employ: Jobs that Last
The ultimate measure of Kernel Accelerator's success is jobs. We track employment creation across every venture we support and report publicly. Businesses that grow through Kernel Accelerator are expected to hire, develop, and retain local talent.
Employment creation tracking across the full portfolio
Linkages to Kernel Academy graduates as a talent pipeline
Annual Kernel Accelerator Impact Report with public accountability
Alumni network of portfolio founders
Ready to Build Your Business?
Apply to Kernel Accelerator and get the capital, mentorship, and network to grow a business that lasts.
AI for Development
Ensuring AI Delivers Real Impact for the Developing World.
Kernel Institute sits at the intersection of AI, policy, and development, ensuring that AI investments in developing countries are not just innovative, but cost-effective, scalable, and built to maximise impact. The question is no longer what AI can do, but what it actually delivers, for whom, and at what cost.
Our Niche
AI Impact Evaluation and Governance for Developing Countries
Most AI governance, safety, and capacity-building work is designed for wealthy-country contexts, frontier AI labs, and European regulatory environments. Kernel fills a critical gap for the developing world.
We build local AI governance capacity, evaluate AI deployments in real-world development contexts, and produce the evidence base that developing-country institutions need to regulate, procure, and deploy AI responsibly.
Our distinctive niche is the intersection of rigorous impact evaluation and AI governance. We ask not just "is this AI safe?" but "does this AI actually work for the people it is deployed to serve, and at what cost?"
AI Focus Areas
Four Pillars of Kernel's AI Work
Kernel applies its core model of rigorous evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, and decision-focused research across three integrated pillars of AI work.
🔬
Pillar 01
AI Impact Evaluation
We apply Kernel's rigorous evaluation methods to AI deployments in public services. agricultural advisory systems, health diagnostics, social protection targeting, and government service delivery. We ask: does this AI work? For whom? At what cost? And is there a better alternative?
⚖️
Pillar 02
AI Governance & Policy
We build developing-country institutional capacity for AI governance. designing risk frameworks, regulatory approaches, and AI safety standards adapted to local institutional realities. Our work ensures AI adoption is accountable, equitable, and aligned with national development priorities.
🎓
Pillar 03
AI Training & Capacity Building
We equip policymakers, analysts, and institutions with the skills to understand, evaluate, and govern AI effectively. From foundational AI literacy to applied policy and evaluation training, we build the human capital required to make informed, evidence-based decisions about AI adoption and use.
AI is not an exception to Kernel's model. It is where rigorous evidence and cost-effectiveness matter most.
Partner With Us on AI
Whether you need AI impact evaluation, governance frameworks, or capacity building for your institution, Kernel delivers evidence that changes how AI is adopted and managed.
About Kernel Institute
We Exist to Answer One Question.
Are you generating the greatest possible impact from every resource you invest?
Who We Are
An Independent Institute Built on a Single Conviction
Kernel Institute of Socio-Economic Research is an independent, non-profit research institute founded on a single conviction: impact and cost-effectiveness are not optional features of good policy. They are the foundation.
We combine rigorous impact evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis, economic research, and behavioural science to determine what works, what it costs, and where resources should be concentrated for maximum return.
What We Stand For
Vision, Mission & Goal
🔭
Vision
A world driven by evidence
A world where every policy and investment decision is driven by rigorous evidence and designed to deliver the greatest measurable impact per resource invested.
🎯
Mission
Evidence to high-impact decisions
To turn evidence into high-impact decisions by helping institutions understand problems, design smarter policies, test what works, measure impact rigorously, and allocate resources where they generate the highest return.
🌱
Goal
Inclusive and enduring growth
To chart new pathways toward economic growth that is both inclusive and enduring, ensuring decisions are guided by evidence, data becomes direction, and every policy and investment generates measurable economic impact and shared opportunity.
Our Story
Founded on a Simple But Urgent Conviction
Across the developing world and beyond, we saw institutions making high-stakes decisions without clear answers to critical questions: Did the intervention truly work? What was the cost per outcome achieved? Was there a higher-impact alternative for the same investment?
Too often, the impact was uncertain and the efficiency unknown. Well-intentioned programmes absorbed significant resources without rigorous testing, without clear cost-effectiveness comparisons, and without a framework for prioritising the highest-return solutions.
Kernel was created to bridge this gap. We brought together economists, impact evaluation specialists, behavioural scientists, and policy analysts united by a single obsession: helping institutions allocate resources where they generate the greatest measurable return.
Our Values
What We Believe
Rigour
We are committed to high-quality evidence. Our work is grounded in sound methods, careful analysis, and intellectual discipline because good decisions require reliable evidence.
Clarity
We believe complexity should yield to clarity. We translate data, research, and analysis into insights that decision-makers can understand and use.
Impact
We focus on outcomes, not outputs. Our work is judged by whether it leads to better decisions, stronger institutions, and measurable social and economic returns.
Cost-Effectiveness
Resources are limited. We prioritise value for money, helping institutions allocate budgets where they deliver the greatest possible impact.
Pragmatism
We design solutions that work in real-world settings using behavioural science. Our recommendations reflect institutional realities, political constraints, and implementation capacity.
Partnership
We work alongside nonprofits, international organisations, governments, and local communities. We believe durable solutions are built through collaboration, trust, and shared learning.
The Name
Why Kernel?
Our name carries two meanings. In econometrics, a kernel is the mathematical core. the weighting function that determines what matters, how much influence each data point carries, and how signal is separated from noise. It is precise. It is purposeful. It does not guess.
And a kernel is a seed. the dense, essential starting point from which growth emerges. Every effective policy, every reformed institution, every programme that genuinely improves lives begins with a kernel of sound evidence. We help you find it, test it, and grow it into durable results.
Meet the Team
The People Behind Kernel Institute.
Our team brings together economists, evaluation specialists, policy analysts, and operational leaders united by one conviction: evidence-driven decisions deliver better outcomes for people.
Leadership
Our Team
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Leadership
Executive Director (ED)
Profile coming soon
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Operations
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Profile coming soon
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Partnerships
Director of Partnerships / Development
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Research
Director of Research / Programs
Profile coming soon
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Communications
Director of Communications
Profile coming soon
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Finance & Operations
Operations & Finance Manager
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Programs
Research & Program Coordinator
Profile coming soon
Our Expertise
Eight Areas of Deep Specialisation.
Across hundreds of evaluations, policy engagements, and capacity-building programmes, we have built rigorous, decision-ready expertise in the sectors that drive development. In every area, one question drives our work: what is the most cost-effective way to generate maximum impact? Can't see your sector? Get in touch and we'll work with you.
AI & Digital Transformation
Governing AI. Proving Its Value.
The question is no longer whether to adopt AI. it is whether the AI being adopted actually works, for whom, and at what cost. Kernel evaluates AI deployments with the same rigour we apply to any policy intervention, and builds the governance capacity governments need to procure, deploy, and regulate AI responsibly.
What We Do
Our AI & Digital Services
🔬
AI Evaluation
We apply causal evaluation methods to AI deployments in agriculture, health, education, and government. generating evidence on what AI actually delivers, for whom, and at what cost.
What We Deliver
AI system impact evaluations
Cost-effectiveness vs. alternative interventions
Population-disaggregated outcome analysis
Evidence briefs for AI procurement decisions
⚖️
AI Governance & Safety
We build regulatory capacity and safety frameworks for AI governance. adapted to the institutional realities, data environments, and accountability gaps that define developing-country AI risk profiles.
What We Deliver
AI governance frameworks and risk registers
AI procurement standards and audit tools
Regulatory readiness assessments
AI safety guidelines for public institutions
🎓
AI Practitioners Programme
We equip policymakers, civil servants, and analysts with the technical literacy and evaluation skills to understand, scrutinise, and govern AI systems. building in-country capacity from the inside out.
What We Deliver
Structured AI literacy training programmes
Applied AI evaluation workshops
Policy simulation and scenario exercises
AI Fellowship (see Academy)
Education
What Works in Education. Proven.
Education spending is the single largest item in most developing-country budgets. yet most programmes have never been rigorously evaluated. Kernel identifies which investments in learning, from early childhood through tertiary and workforce pathways, deliver the greatest educational and economic returns per resource invested.
What We Do
Our Education Services
🧒
Early Childhood Education
The period from birth to age eight offers the highest return on any educational investment. Kernel evaluates ECD programmes for developmental outcomes, equity, and cost per child reached.
What We Deliver
ECD programme impact evaluations
Cost per developmental outcome analysis
Parenting programme design and RCTs
ECD policy and financing strategies
📚
School Quality & Learning Outcomes
We evaluate which school-level interventions. from teacher training to technology to infrastructure. produce measurable gains in literacy, numeracy, and learning per dollar invested.
What We Deliver
Learning outcome evaluations
Teacher effectiveness and training ROI
School quality diagnostics
Education technology cost-effectiveness
🎯
Tertiary to Employment Pathways
We evaluate the links between higher education, skills training, and employment. identifying the programmes that convert academic achievement into sustained economic participation.
What We Deliver
Graduate employment outcome evaluations
Skills gap and labour market analysis
TVET cost-effectiveness assessments
University-to-work transition strategies
Behavioural Science & Nudge Design
Change Behaviour. At Fraction of the Cost.
Behavioural science offers some of the most cost-effective policy tools available. A well-designed nudge can achieve the same outcome as an expensive programme at a fraction of the cost. Many policy failures are not failures of resource or intent. they are failures of design. Kernel identifies those opportunities and proves they work.
What We Do
Our Behavioural Science Services
🧠
Behavioural Diagnostics
Before designing any intervention, we map the behavioural barriers and biases that drive the problem. This diagnostic step identifies the highest-leverage, lowest-cost opportunities for change.
Barrier analysis and root cause diagnostics
Cognitive bias mapping
Qualitative and survey-based diagnostics
Decision-point identification
🎲
Nudge Design & A/B Testing
We design, test, and iterate low-cost nudge interventions. using A/B testing and randomised trials to identify the versions that produce the greatest behaviour change at the lowest cost.
Nudge-based intervention design
Randomised A/B testing protocols
Message framing and default redesign
Rapid iteration and optimisation cycles
🏛️
Choice Architecture & Policy Design
We help governments redesign public programmes using choice architecture. structuring how options are presented to guide citizens toward better outcomes without restricting their freedom.
Public service choice architecture redesign
Form and interface simplification
Tax, health, and social protection nudges
Scale-up and institutionalisation support
Governance
Governments That Deliver. Measurably.
Strong governance is not only about accountability. it is about performance. Kernel works with governments and institutions to strengthen the systems, incentives, and structures that drive effective public service delivery, integrating cost-effectiveness analysis into every reform.
What We Do
Our Governance Services
📊
Institutional Performance
We diagnose what drives and what blocks effective institutional performance, using evidence-based frameworks to identify high-leverage reform opportunities.
Institutional capacity diagnostics
Performance measurement system design
Service delivery quality assessments
Incentive structure analysis
💰
Public Financial Management
We help governments spend better. analysing budget efficiency, identifying wasteful allocations, and building the evidence base for budget decisions that maximise public value.
Public expenditure reviews
Budget efficiency and value-for-money analysis
Revenue enhancement strategies
Public investment management
🔍
Accountability & Anti-Corruption
We design accountability systems, social audit mechanisms, and anti-corruption frameworks that create genuine incentives for transparent, performance-oriented governance.
Social accountability mechanism design
Corruption risk assessment and mapping
Transparency and open data strategies
Citizen feedback system design
Agriculture
Farming Incomes. Rigorously Raised.
Agriculture employs the majority of the working population in many developing countries yet generates persistently low returns. Kernel identifies which interventions. from extension services to irrigation to market linkages. deliver the highest and most sustainable income gains per resource invested, in the specific contexts where they are deployed.
What We Do
Our Agriculture Services
🌾
Agricultural Intervention Evaluation
We rigorously evaluate agricultural programmes. extension services, input subsidies, irrigation schemes, and value chain investments. establishing causal evidence of income and productivity impact.
Farmer income and productivity evaluations
Extension service effectiveness studies
Input subsidy cost-effectiveness analysis
Irrigation ROI and feasibility
🌍
Climate-Smart Agriculture
We evaluate which climate-smart agriculture practices deliver the strongest combination of income maintenance, resilience building, and emissions reduction. helping institutions and funders invest where impact is greatest.
Climate adaptation cost-effectiveness analysis
Resilience measurement and evaluation
Agroforestry and soil health assessments
Carbon and co-benefit ROI analysis
🤝
Market Linkages & Cooperatives
We assess the effectiveness of market linkage programmes, farmer cooperatives, and agribusiness value chain investments. identifying which models actually increase farmer income and by how much.
Cooperative effectiveness evaluation
Value chain analysis and market linkage ROI
Agribusiness investment feasibility
Farmer organisation impact studies
Quality Jobs
Dignified Work. Measured Outcomes.
The developing world does not lack people who want to work. it lacks the infrastructure of opportunity that connects ambition to employment. Kernel evaluates which labour market interventions, training programmes, and enterprise supports produce the most durable employment outcomes, at a cost that makes sense for institutions to replicate and scale.
What We Do
Our Quality Jobs Services
📈
Labour Market Analysis
We analyse labour markets to identify the specific structural barriers and highest-return opportunities for job creation. providing the evidence base for employment policy and investment decisions.
Labour market diagnostics and gap analysis
Youth unemployment root cause studies
Sector-specific employment ROI analysis
Wage and income trajectory studies
🛠️
Skills & Training Programme Evaluation
We evaluate skills development and vocational training programmes on the only metric that matters: did graduates get jobs, and were those jobs worth the cost of training?
Employment placement rate evaluation
Income gain and wage premium analysis
TVET and vocational training cost-effectiveness
Training-to-job pathway evaluation
🏢
Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Support
We evaluate business development support, enterprise training, and access-to-finance programmes. identifying which models generate the most sustained job creation per unit of investment.
Enterprise support programme evaluations
SME growth and job creation measurement
Access-to-finance impact assessments
Business incubator and accelerator ROI
Health
Health Spending That Actually Saves Lives.
Health systems in developing countries face an impossible challenge: enormous need, constrained budgets, and an evidence base that rarely reflects local realities. Kernel helps health policymakers, funders, and implementers make smarter resource allocation decisions. identifying which health interventions deliver the greatest health gains per dollar invested in their specific context.
What We Do
Our Health Services
🏥
Health System Cost-Effectiveness
We evaluate health interventions. from community health worker programmes to UHC benefit packages. to identify which deliver the most health gains per unit of cost in real-world delivery contexts.
Cost per DALY averted analysis
Health intervention impact evaluations
UHC priority-setting and benefit package design
Community health worker programme evaluation
🤱
Maternal & Child Health
We evaluate maternal health, nutrition, and child survival programmes using rigorous impact evaluation methods. providing the cost-effectiveness evidence health ministries need to scale what works.
Maternal mortality intervention evaluations
Child nutrition programme cost-effectiveness
Immunisation delivery model comparison
Antenatal and postnatal care evaluations
🧬
Mental Health & Social Care
Mental health is the most underfunded and underevaluated area of health in developing countries. Kernel conducts rigorous evaluations of mental health interventions and social care programmes to build the evidence base that funders and policymakers need.
Mental health intervention impact evaluations
Cost per outcome in mental health delivery
Community-based mental health evaluation
Social prescribing and care coordination ROI
Fragility, Conflict & Violence
Evidence in the Hardest Contexts.
Fragile and conflict-affected settings are where the need for rigorous evidence is greatest and where evidence is hardest to generate. Kernel has the methodology and field experience to conduct rigorous evaluations in difficult operating environments. producing decision-ready evidence even where standard research approaches are impossible.
What We Do
Our FCV Services
🕊️
Conflict Sensitivity & Programming
We help development actors programme in conflict-affected contexts. providing conflict analysis, do-no-harm assessments, and evaluation frameworks adapted for fragile operating environments.
Conflict analysis and political economy mapping
Do-no-harm assessment frameworks
Peace dividend and stabilisation evaluation
Conflict-sensitive programme design
🏗️
Resilience & Humanitarian Response
We evaluate resilience programming and humanitarian response for cost-effectiveness. helping donors and implementers understand which interventions produce the most durable recovery outcomes.
Resilience programme impact evaluation
Humanitarian response cost-effectiveness
Cash transfer vs. in-kind comparison
Displacement and return outcome measurement
👁️
Violence Prevention & Social Cohesion
We evaluate violence prevention programmes. community policing, social cohesion initiatives, and gender-based violence prevention. using rigorous methods adapted for sensitive and complex operating contexts.
Violence prevention programme evaluation
GBV intervention impact and cost-effectiveness
Social cohesion and trust measurement
Community security programme assessment
Work With Us in Your Sector
Whatever your area of focus, Kernel brings the same commitment: rigorous evidence, honest cost-effectiveness, and results you can act on.
Our Work
Research That Changes Decisions.
Kernel's publications translate rigorous evidence into actionable insights for governments, development organisations, and funders. Our research is designed to be read, used, and cited.
All Publications
Browse Our Research
Journal Article · 2026
Parental preferences for AI-powered early childhood education tools: a choice experiment
Mbithi, A., & Maina, L. (2026). AI, Brain and Child, 2(1), 1.
Whether you are a government, development organisation, funder, researcher, graduate, or entrepreneur. Kernel Institute has a role for you in advancing evidence-based development and maximising impact per resource invested.
Partner With Us
Whether you are a county government, national ministry, development organisation, international agency, or private institution, Kernel can help you make better decisions through evidence. We work across the full evidence cycle. from problem diagnosis through evaluation and scale-up.
Apply to Academy or Accelerator
If you are a graduate looking for your first career break, an entrepreneur with a business idea, or a professional seeking to build AI policy expertise, Kernel Academy and Accelerator have a programme designed for you.
Invest or Donate
Kernel is an independent non-profit. Our ability to produce rigorous, independent evidence depends on the support of funders who believe that cost-effective impact is the standard every resource should meet. To donate, visit our giving page.
Newsletter
Stay Connected
Subscribe to the Kernel newsletter for research updates, policy briefs, programme announcements, and insights on evidence-based development across the developing world.
General Enquiries
Contact Us
For all research commissions, partnership enquiries, fellowship applications, and general questions, please get in touch with our team.
