Berkeley’s Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is a hub for research on global development, and is part a network of over 50 academic researchers extending across the University of California, Stanford University, and the University of Washington. CEGA brings a scientific lens to global development, integrating empirical economic analysis with expertise in agriculture, public health, education, engineering, and the environment.

CEGA's mission is to improve lives and generate opportunities globally, through innovative research that drives effective policy and development programming. Through a variety of initiatives, the Center’s faculty-affiliates measure the impacts of large-scale social and economic development, using randomized controlled trials to measure the impacts of social programs on livelihoods, economic growth, and well-being. The Center is also pioneering the use of new technologies—wireless sensors, mobile data, and analytics—to evaluate complex initiatives.