From Experimentation to Institutionalization: Policy Innovation Labs in the Global South

ABSTRACT

The policy innovation lab (PIL) scholarship has grown rapidly in recent years but is heavily weighted toward Global North experiences. This systematic review examines 24 publications associated with Global South PILs. We found that Global South PILs are conceptualized as objects of study, as methods or platforms for policy dialogue and co‐production, and as producers of evidence‐based tools, datasets, indices, or reports. Global South labs are often positioned adjacent to the government rather than embedded within them, frequently operating through universities, NGOs, donors, or research networks. We argue that Global South PILs are best understood as boundary‐spanning policy arrangements that connect evidence, participation, and policy design under conditions of uneven state capacity. Their influence, however, depends on whether lab‐generated knowledge, dialogue, and experimentation become linked to formal policy authority, implementation routines, and sustained public problem‐solving.