In 2014, 3ie organised a Festshrift to celebrate the contributions of Howard White, 3ie’s founding executive director, to development studies. In this introductory article, we provide a reflection on the contributions made in his career so far. Common themes include substance, namely a focus on the poor and disenfranchised; methodology, including theory of change and counterfactual analysis; and the promotion of evidence-based policy. We present an overview of the papers contained in the issue, which were commissioned from colleagues who have worked with Howard over the years. A second issue of the Journal of Development Effectiveness containing further papers commissioned as part of the Festschrift will be published in December 2015.