The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) promotes evidence-informed equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. We support the generation and effective use of high-quality evidence to inform decision-making and improve the lives of people living in poverty in low-and middle-income countries. We provide guidance and support to produce, synthesise and quality assure evidence of what works, for whom, how, why and at what cost. 3ie working papersThese papers cover a range of content. They may focus on current issues, debates and enduring challenges facing development policymakers, programme managers, practitioners, and the impact evaluation and systematic review communities. Policyrelevant papers in this series synthesise or draw on relevant findings from mixed-method impact evaluations, systematic reviews funded by 3ie, as well as other rigorous evidence to offer new analyses, findings, insights and recommendations. Papers focusing on methods and technical guides also draw on similar sources to help advance understanding, design, and use of rigorous and appropriate evaluations and reviews. We also use this series to publish lessons learned from 3ie grant-making and contributions from 3ie's senior research fellows. About this working paperThis paper, The policies that empower women: empirical evidence from India's National Rural Livelihoods Project, provides empirical evidence in support of the hypothesis that providing women with access to large loans significantly enhances their decision-making ability within the household. This paper has been copyedited and formatted for publication by 3ie.