About Innovations for poverty action
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-profit organization that focuses on research and policy to discover and promote effective solutions to global poverty problems. The organization was founded in 2002 by a group of economists who were passionate about using rigorous evidence to improve the lives of people living in poverty.
IPA's mission is to generate and disseminate rigorous evidence that leads to better policies and programs for reducing poverty. The organization works with governments, NGOs, foundations, and other partners around the world to design, evaluate, and scale up innovative solutions that have been proven effective through randomized evaluations.
One of IPA's core strengths is its commitment to using randomized evaluations as a tool for generating rigorous evidence. Randomized evaluations are experiments that randomly assign individuals or communities to different treatments or interventions, allowing researchers to measure the impact of these interventions on key outcomes such as income, health, education, and social behavior.
Through its work in over 50 countries around the world, IPA has generated a wealth of knowledge about what works – and what doesn't – when it comes to reducing poverty. Some examples of IPA's successful interventions include:
- Providing small loans combined with financial education training can help low-income households increase their income.
- Providing free school uniforms can increase school attendance among children from poor families.
- Providing incentives for teachers based on student performance can improve learning outcomes in schools.
- Providing information about the benefits of immunization can increase vaccination rates among children.
IPA also works closely with policymakers at all levels – from local governments in developing countries to international organizations like the World Bank –to ensure that its findings are translated into action. By working directly with policymakers, IPA helps ensure that evidence-based policies are implemented at scale so they can have maximum impact on reducing poverty.
In addition to its research work, IPA also provides technical assistance and capacity building support for organizations looking to design or evaluate their own anti-poverty programs. This includes training workshops on randomized evaluation methods as well as customized consulting services tailored specifically for each client's needs.
Overall Innovations for Poverty Action has made significant contributions towards alleviating global poverty through their innovative approach towards research-based solutions which have been proven effective through randomized evaluations. Their commitment towards providing technical assistance along with capacity building support makes them an ideal partner for any organization looking forward towards designing or evaluating anti-poverty programs while ensuring maximum impact at scale.