Small Cash Grants Might Not Work as Well as We Think
Media Coverage
March 28, 2018

Mother Jones covers recent discussion on the long term effects of cash transfers, including Chris Blattman's reflections on a study he and other IPA-affiliated researchers conducted with IPA in Uganda.
IPA and J-PAL Announce $16 Million Grant From UK Government to Fund New Research on Solutions to Challenges in Governance, Crime and Conflict, and Peace and Recovery
Press Release
December 06, 2017

New Haven, CT / Cambridge, MA – Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), two research centers working to support evidence-informed policymaking, were jointly awarded a grant of GBP£12 million (US$16 million) from the UK Department for International Development to generate new research on effective policies to promote peace and good governance, reduce crime, and support individuals and communities recovering from conflict.

The grant, approved in December 2016 and signed in August 2017, contributes to three research programs:

IPA’...
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:

Reducing violence and promoting peace Reducing “fragility” (i.e. fostering state capability and institutions of decision-making) Preventing, coping with, and recovering from crises (focusing on conflict, but also including non-conflict...
Voice of America: Study Finds Reconciliation Programs Can Rekindle Victims' Trauma
Media Coverage
May 13, 2016

Voice of America interviews IPA researcher Oeindrila Dube about the new research from Sierra Leone in Science and its implications for the design of post-war reconciliation programs. The story also appeared in the New Delhi Times.
New IPA Sierra Leone Reconciliation Research, Washington Post Monkey Cage
Media Coverage
May 13, 2016

In the Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog, Rachel Glennerster reviews what we know about how societies recover after war in light of IPA's new findings. She covers the new research, and why it's critical to understand how to heal societies after war.
Reuters on IPA's new Sierra Leone Reconciliation Research
Media Coverage
May 13, 2016

Reuters reports on the new research from IPA in Sierra Leone on community reconciliation after war came at a cost:

While forgiveness toward perpetrators increased, the prevalence of severe trauma among the participants was more than a third higher than among those who didn't take part in the project, said the study, published in the journal Science.
Pacific Standard on IPA war reconciliation research
Media Coverage
May 13, 2016

Pacific Standard  covers IPA's research on the benefits and tolls of post-war reconciliation in Sierra Leone.
Post-conflict reconciliation led to societal healing, but worsened psychological health, new study finds
Press Release
May 12, 2016

NEW HAVEN, May 13, 2016 — Civil wars divide nations along social, economic and political lines, often pitting neighbors against each other. In the aftermath of civil wars, many countries undertake truth and reconciliation efforts to restore social cohesion, but little has been known about whether these programs reach their intended goals. A new study published in Science today suggests reconciliation programs promote societal healing, but that these gains come at the cost of reduced psychological health, worsening depression, anxiety, and trauma. 

“Our research suggests that talking...
IPA Sierra Leone reconciliation project on NPR's Hidden Brain
Media Coverage
January 29, 2016

NPR's Hidden Brain podcast featured IPA Sierra Leone's project on reconciliation and forgiveness. PI Oeindrila Dube explains the RCT and potential hidden costs of programs such as this.
After the violence: Crafting effective public policy in post-conflict settings
September 21, 2015

By Colin Felsman

IPA Colombia and J-PAL Latin America & Carribean, and Universidad de los Andes’ Center for the Study of Security and Drugs (CESED), recently convened policymakers, researchers, and civil society members to discuss proven solutions and pressing questions surrounding conflict and post-conflict contexts. 

Divided into three sessions, following a welcome by IPA Colombia Country Representative Sebastian Chaskel and CESED Director Daniel Mejía, the conference began with presentations of available evidence. These included a presentation by Chris Blattman,...
On Freakonomics Radio: Can cognitive behavioral therapy reduce crime?
Media Coverage
September 17, 2015

IPA researcher Chris Blattman speaks with the Freakonomics podcast talking about research with IPA in Liberia, part of their coverage of the ability of cogntive behavioral therapy and cash grants to combat violence and crime among street youth.
Foreign Policy asks: Can you teach your way out of a war?
Media Coverage
July 02, 2015

Hodei Sultan and Hamidullah Natiq from the US Institute of Peace ask in Foreign Policy Magazine if teaching peace skills is effective. They profile Afghanistan's Gawharshad Institute of Higher Education, which teaches “Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution” alongside the traditional curriculum. The story cites IPA's research on peace education in rural Liberia which found increases in non-violent disputes and decreases in violent ones. Read the full story here and watch a video about IPA's project below.    
The Atlantic covers research on how to integrate ex-combatants in Liberia
Media Coverage
June 25, 2015

IPA's research in Liberia with Chris Blattman of Columbia University and Jeannie Annan of the International Rescue Committee, is featured in The Atlantic article "Can Jobs Deter Crime?" The research evaluated a program aimed at young men, giving them literacy and vocational training along with cash to buy agricultural supplies. Overally the data showed the group who participated in the program spent more time on agricultural activities, and had higher assets, along with less interest in joining a new conflict in neighboring Cote d’Ivoire.
Jobs and jail might not keep young men out of crime, but how about therapy?
Media Coverage
April 15, 2015
Quartz on predicting outbreaks of violence research
Media Coverage
October 31, 2014

The news site Quartz.com covered Chris Blattman's research with IPA in Liberia. Researchers were able to predict outbreaks of future violence in the country with a small set of variables. You can read the full piece, This statistical model can predict outbreaks of violence in Liberia here.

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