Philippines theory of change workshop
Working from within Governments to Encourage Evidence-Informed Decision-Making
February 28, 2019

(Editor's note: The title of this post has been updated.)

IPA pursues many strategies to move evidence to policy impact, but one that engenders particularly meaningful partnerships is to work from within governments, whether through embedding staff within government offices or facilitating the institutionalization of an “evidence unit” within a ministry. For example:
The Chicago Booth Review Features IPA Research on Debt Traps
Media Coverage
January 28, 2019
The Chicago Booth Review features IPA research by our founder Dean Karlan, Sendhil Mullainathan, and Benjamin N. Roth on loan forgiveness while highlighting why so many people struggle to escape debt.
Freakonomics Podcast Covers IPA Study on Values Training in the Philippines
Media Coverage
January 04, 2019
In an interview with Freakonomics, IPA founder Dean Karlan and James Choi discuss their work (completed with fellow researcher Gharad Bryan) on an IPA evaluation of a Christian health and livelihood training program in the Philippines. The study tested two versions of the program, one with and one without a religious messaging component.
The Philippines' The Daily Guardian on a Graduation Pilot Program to be Tested by IPA
Media Coverage
January 04, 2019
The Daily Guardian reports on the launch of a graduation program in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and BRAC, have partnered on the program which will be evaluated in an IPA randomized controlled trial.
In the Philippines, "Research O'Clock" Provides Forum to Share Latest Education Evidence
Media Coverage
July 24, 2018
The Manilla Bulletin reports on the new "Research O'Clock" partnership between IPA and the Philippines Department of Education, which will serve as a forum for engaging the education sector and sharing the latest evidence for effective learning.
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To Fee or Not to Fee? Designing Inclusive Savings Products for Women
Silvia Prina
April 17, 2018

By Alejandra Martinez and Danielle Moore
IPA Research on Values Training Featured in the New York Times
Media Coverage
March 01, 2018
In an op-ed in the New York Times, David Leonhardt discusses the findings of IPA's evaluation of a Christian business training program in the Philippines. Leonhardt explores the results' implications with project researcher and IPA founder Dean Karlan, who concludes that the "findings are 'cautiously positive' for the power of religion." 
The Indian Express Covers IPA Research on Debt Traps
Media Coverage
February 26, 2018
The Indian Express covers IPA's research on ways to help entrepreneurs in developing countries escape the cycle of short-term, high-interest borrowing. The study, conducted in India and the Philippines, evaluated the effects of offering money and lessons in finance to market vendors who were carrying significant debt. Researchers found that most vendors fell back into debt within six weeks, and that the intervention had no observable long-term effects. Further research is needed on barriers to saving among small-scale entrepreneurs and the functions that short-term lending serves.
The Economist Covers IPA Research on Values Training
Media Coverage
February 26, 2018
  The Economist reports on IPA's evaluation of a Christian business training program in the Philippines. Researchers evaluated the program for the poor, which provided health and business training, both with and without the religious messaging component. The evaluation showed that only the version with the religious component raised incomes and increased expressions of religious belief. However, it also reduced paritcipants' perception of their relative economic status in their community. 
Business Mirror covers IPA study of student employment program in Philippines
Media Coverage
October 30, 2017
The preliminary results of an IPA study on the effectiveness of an employment program for students in the Philippines were covered by the Business Mirror (Philippines). 
IPA Peace & Recovery Program Launches First Call for Expressions of Interest
Announcement
August 15, 2017
The Peace & Recovery (P&R) Program at Innovations for Poverty Action is launching its first request for proposals, through an Expression of Interest (EOI) Form available now. Expressions of Interest are due on September 15, 2017. The P&R Program is designed to support field experiments and related research in several broad areas:
Improving the microfinance model
Media Coverage
October 31, 2016
Researchers who conducted randomized controlled studies in several countries began to question the effects of micro lending in raising the economic fortunes of the poor. While the loans increased business starts for those without business to begin with, for those already in business the impact has not been encouraging.
Making Microfinance More Effective
Media Coverage
October 05, 2016
For the 2.5 billion people who live on less than $2 per day, shocks such as illness, crop failures, livestock deaths, farming-equipment breakdowns and even wedding or funeral expenses can be enough to tip them, their families, or even an entire community below the poverty line. A major challenge for international development efforts is determining which financial tools provide durable buffers against such setbacks.
Will NPR's Hidden Brain intern stop smoking using IPA's findings?
Media Coverage
February 10, 2016
NPR's Hidden Brain social science research podcast looks at New Year's resolutions and how their intern might use them to quit smoking. They cite IPA's research on commitment devices in the Philippines in their review of the relevant research.
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New World Bank Report Highlights IPA’s Research, Calls for Redesign of Development Policy
Nava Ashraf, Lori Beaman, Ariel BenYishay, Pascaline Dupas, Paul Fatch, Xavier Giné, Alaka Holla, Dean Karlan, Jeanne Lafortune, Jeremy Magruder, Margaret McConnell, Mushfiq Mobarak, Sendhil Mullainathan, Jonathan Robinson, Renos Vakis, Wesley Yin, Jonathan Zinman
December 10, 2014
 
Development policy should be redesigned to reflect new insights about human behavior, according to a new World Bank report. The report calls on the development community to shift its agenda based on new insights in behavioral economics, and supports this proposal with findings from numerous IPA evaluations, including our work on commitment devices, reminders, and peer networks.
 

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