Measuring Development Conference 2026

Over the past decade, social scientists and technologists have made significant advancements in transparency and reproducibility: from data and code sharing to pre-analysis plans and replication initiatives. But the field is now at a turning point: artificial intelligence and increasingly complex computational methods are transforming how we analyze data, as researchers face ever-larger and often confidential datasets. Richer data promise to bring more timely and granular insights, but also raise new questions: How can we ensure research remains trustworthy and reproducible? How do we balance openness with privacy and security? And how do we keep up with the pace of technological change?

The 12th annual Measuring Development (MeasureDev) Conference, “Open Science in the Age of AI: Balancing Privacy and Transparency” will convene leading researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to review progress over the past decade and chart a path forward for transparency and replicability in light of rapid changes in technology, data access, and computational methods. Co-hosted by the World Bank and the Center for Effective Global Action, MeasureDev will bring together experts who are shaping how credible evidence should be generated for development policy.