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{{Infobox organization
| name = Innovations for Poverty Action
| type = Research into poverty alleviation and development programs
| logo = Innovations for Poverty Action Logo.png
| founded_date = 2002
| founder = [[Dean Karlan]]
| location_city = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| location_country = [[United States of America]]
| area_served = Global
| key_people = [[Dean Karlan]], Annie Duflo
| focus = Program Evaluation in areas such as [[Microfinance]]<br>[[Public health|Public Health]]<br>[[Agriculture]]<br>[[Education]]
| homepage = {{URL|poverty-action.org}}
|}}

'''Innovations for Poverty Action''' ('''IPA''') is an American non-profit research and policy organization founded in 2002 by economist [[Dean Karlan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://impactspace.com/financial-organization/innovations-for-poverty-action-(ipa)|title=ImpactSpace|website=impactspace.com|access-date=2016-08-18}}</ref> Since its foundation, IPA has worked with over 400 academics to conduct over 900 evaluations in 52 countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.idealist.org/view/org/75X7mTt9fz5P/ |title=Nonprofit (New Haven): Innovations for Poverty Action |website=idealist.org |access-date=2016-08-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822210304/http://www.idealist.org/view/org/75X7mTt9fz5P |archive-date=2016-08-22 }}</ref> The organization also manages the Poverty Probability Index.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

IPA conducts [[randomized controlled trials]] (RCTs), along with other types of [[quantitative research]], to measure the impacts of development programs in sectors including [[microfinance]], education, health, peace and recovery, [[governance]], [[agriculture]], social protection, and [[small and medium enterprise]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=061660068 |title= Unrated Profile for Innovations for Poverty Action |website=Charity Navigator |access-date=2016-08-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826235503/https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=061660068 |archive-date=2016-08-26 }}</ref> Its partner organizations include over 400 governments, nonprofits, academic institutions, foundations, and companies.

== History and mission ==
IPA was founded in 2002 by [[Dean Karlan]], an economist at [[Yale University]].<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/01/22/life/doc497856173cbd3348713265.txt
|title = The devil's in the data: Innovations for Poverty Action of New Haven evaluates programs around the globe
|publisher = New Haven Register
|url-status=dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120312042832/http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/01/22/life/doc497856173cbd3348713265.txt
|archive-date = 2012-03-12
}}</ref> The organization is dedicated to finding and promoting solutions to global poverty and "bridging the gap between academia and development policy".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://poverty-action.org/about/history |title=History |publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action |access-date=2012-08-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001015822/http://www.poverty-action.org/about/history |archive-date=2015-10-01 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/september/renowned-economists-launch-global-poverty-research-lab/|title=Renowned economists launch Global Poverty Research Lab |journal= Northwestern Now|publisher=news.northwestern.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2017-12-28}}</ref>

IPA is headquartered in [[New Haven, CT|New Haven, Connecticut]], and has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., as well as offices in Africa, Asia and South America.<ref name=":0"/> As of 2021, the organization is led by executive director [[Annie Duflo]] and has conducted 677 studies in 51 countries throughout the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/publications/IPA-2020-2021-Annual-Report-Web.pdf|title=IPA 2020-2021 Annual Report|publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action|access-date=2021-12-18}}</ref>

In 2017, IPA and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab received a $16 million grant from the UK Department for International Development to research policies that promote peace and support communities in areas recovering from conflict.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/world/ipa-and-j-pal-announce-16-million-grant-uk-government-fund-new-research-solutions|title=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|work=ReliefWeb|access-date=2017-12-28|language=en}}</ref>

===Funding===
IPA seeks funding from both individuals and foundations. IPA has been funded by a number of foundations and other non-profits. These include the [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation|Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]],<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2011/Pages/Innovations-for-Poverty-Action-OPP1042045.aspx|title = Innovations for Poverty Action (2011 grant)|publisher = [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]]}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2010/Pages/Innovations-for-Poverty-Action-OPP1011508.aspx|title = Innovations for Poverty Action (2010 grant)|publisher = [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]]}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2009/Pages/Innovations-for-Poverty-Action-OPPGD1482.aspx|title = Innovations for Poverty Action (2009 grant)|publisher = [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]]}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Omidyar Network]], [[Citi Foundation]], [[Hewlett Foundation]], [[Mulago Foundation]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mulagofoundation.org/?q=portfolio/ipa |title=Innovations for Poverty Action (profile page) |publisher=[[Mulago Foundation]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025191538/http://www.mulagofoundation.org/?q=portfolio%2Fipa |archive-date=2012-10-25 }}</ref> [[Ford Foundation]], [[World Bank]], [[United States Agency for International Development|USAID]], [[Department for International Development|DFID]], and others. A number of universities and think tanks have also funded IPA and its projects, including [[Harvard University]], [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], and [[Stanford University]].

== Activities ==
IPA conducts controlled, randomized studies of aid programs. Their studies are conducted in much the same matter as scientific studies to determine the impact of such programs and find effective methods for reducing poverty.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nhregister.com/business/article/New-Haven-organization-founded-by-Yale-prof-11316120.php|title=New Haven organization, founded by Yale prof, tests best ways to reduce global poverty|work=New Haven Register|access-date=2017-12-28}}</ref> IPA's evaluations assess interventions in the areas of small and medium enterprises, financial inclusion, peace and recovery, governance, health, education, agriculture, and social protection.<ref name="sectors">{{cite web|url=http://poverty-action.org/sectors |title=Sectors |publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903201605/http://www.poverty-action.org/sectors |archive-date=2012-09-03 |date=2015-08-06 }}</ref>

As of 2017, IPA had designed and conducted more than 650 evaluations<ref name=":0" /> in partnership with over 400 leading academics. IPA also works to ensure that decision-makers use and apply evidence by making it useful and accessible. IPA does this through collaborating with decision-makers while creating policy-relevant evidence, proactive sharing of results, and providing technical assistance to applying solutions at scale.<ref name="about"/>

== Partners ==

IPA works with more than 400 nonprofit organizations, governments, academic institutions, and companies to design programs and conduct evaluations.<ref name=about>{{cite web|url=http://poverty-action.org/about/our-partners |title=Our Partners |publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action |access-date=2016-03-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318011652/http://www.poverty-action.org/about/our-partners |archive-date=2016-03-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lano |first1=Christiana |title="Innovations for Poverty Action" and Evidence-Based Interventions |url=https://www.borgenmagazine.com/evidence-based-interventions/ |work=BORGEN Magazine |date=9 October 2017}}</ref>

The [[Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab]] (J-PAL) is a close partner of IPA.<ref name=j-pal>{{cite web|url=http://www.povertyactionlab.org/partners/innovations-poverty-action-ipa |title=Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) (partner page with list of joint projects) |publisher=[[Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630112903/http://www.povertyactionlab.org/partners/innovations-poverty-action-ipa |archive-date=2012-06-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poverty-action.org/node/50 |title=Abudl Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (partner page with list of joint projects) |publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118160613/http://www.poverty-action.org/node/50 |archive-date=2012-01-18 }}</ref> The two organizations share a common mission and take similar methodological approaches to development policy evaluation. Both organizations have pioneered the use of [[randomized evaluation]]s to study the effectiveness of development interventions worldwide and have collaborated extensively on field studies involving randomized evaluations. IPA and J-PAL attempt to bridge the gap between research and the policy world by creating and disseminating knowledge about what works to policymakers and practitioners around the world.

IPA has a number of other partners including the [[World Bank]], various agencies of the [[United Nations]], a number of national and regional governments such as the government of [[Sierra Leone]], and a number of charities that collaborate with IPA in the design and evaluation of their programs, such as [[Save the Children]], [[Population Services International]], [[One Acre Fund]], and [[Pratham]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poverty-action.org/about/partners |title=Partners (multiple page navigation) |publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120831195501/http://www.poverty-action.org/about/partners |archive-date=2012-08-31 }}</ref>

== Research ==
IPA's research spans eight programs including agriculture, education, financial inclusion, governance, health, peace and recovery, small and medium enterprises, and social protection. The results of IPA studies have been published by IPA research affiliates in peer-reviewed academic journals such as ''Econometrica'', [[Science (journal)|''Science'']], the ''[[Quarterly Journal of Economics]]'', ''[[American Economic Review]]'', and the ''[[Review of Financial Studies]]'', among others.<ref name=Publications>{{cite web|url=http://www.poverty-action.org/publications |title=Publications |publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320011353/http://www.poverty-action.org/publications |archive-date=2016-03-20 }}</ref>

=== Method ===
IPA uses [[randomized controlled trial]]s (RCTs) in its approach to anti-poverty research. RCTs are primarily known for their application in medical research to isolate the impact of a particular pharmaceutical or treatment from other factors.<ref>{{cite news |author=Staff Reports |title="Innovations for Poverty Action" and Evidence-Based Interventions |url=https://www.borgenmagazine.com/evidence-based-interventions/ |work=BORGEN Magazine |date=9 October 2017}}</ref> As in these medical trials, researchers assign participants at random to different study groups. One or more groups receive a program (the "treatment groups") and another group serves as the comparison (or "control") group. Though there are critiques to the randomized approach, its use in the social sciences is growing. Critics have included notable development economists such as [[Angus Deaton]] and [[Daron Acemoglu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=JEP&volume=24&issue=3 |title=AEAweb Journal Articles Display |access-date=2010-09-08 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917035136/http://aeaweb.org/issue.php?journal=JEP&volume=24&issue=3 |archive-date=2010-09-17 }}</ref>

=== Microfinance ===
IPA performs many evaluations of microfinance programs and products, including microcredit, microsavings, and microinsurance. IPA is part of the [[Financial Access Initiative]] (FAI), a consortium launched with the support of a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the goal of increasing knowledge about microfinance and communicating research lessons to a broad spectrum of policy-makers, microfinance institutions, and the public at large.

An example of IPA's research on microfinance includes examinations of the impact of group liability. Many microcredit programs are offered to groups of women who share "group liability", meaning that all members of the group are responsible for repaying the loans if one of the members defaults. Group liability has been promoted by Nobel Prize winner [[Muhammad Yunus]] as the best way to ensure high repayment rates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://poverty-action.org/project/0034 |title=Group versus Individual Liability for Microfinance borrowers in the Philippines | Innovations for Poverty Action |access-date=2010-12-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727183925/http://www.poverty-action.org/project/0034 |archive-date=2011-07-27 }} Group vs. Individual Liability in the Philippines</ref> IPA studies conducted in a variety of countries show that switching existing clients to individual liability does not increase default rates, however. Further, IPA studies demonstrate that microcredit does not have a transformative impact on poverty, but that it can give low-income households more freedom in optimizing the ways they make money, consume, and invest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.poverty-action.org/publication/where-credit-due |title=Where Credit is Due {{!}} Innovations for Poverty Action |website=www.poverty-action.org |access-date=2016-09-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002143930/http://www.poverty-action.org/publication/where-credit-due |archive-date=2016-10-02 |date=June 2015 }}</ref>

=== Agriculture ===
IPA's agriculture research evaluates whether interventions aimed at increasing or protecting farm income are effective. This research has included projects that examine the impact of crop prices,<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://karlan.yale.edu/p/mumuadu_012010071_jan22.pdf
|title = Crop Price Indemnified Loans for Farmers:A Pilot Experiment in Rural Ghana
|author = Dean Karlan, Ed Kutsoati, Margaret McMillan, Chris Udry
|url-status=dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100628204813/http://karlan.yale.edu/p/mumuadu_012010071_jan22.pdf
|archive-date = 2010-06-28
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://poverty-action.org/project/0007
|title=Project page: Examining Effects of Crop Price Insurance for Farmers in Ghana
|publisher=Innovations for Poverty Action
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427102525/http://www.poverty-action.org/project/0007
|archive-date=2011-04-27
|date=2015-04-22
}}</ref> rainfall insurance, fertilizer use,<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/4281
|title = Nudging Farmers to Use Fertilizer: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Kenya
|author1 = Esther Duflo
|author2 = Michael Kremer
|author3 = Jonathan Robinson
|format = pdf
|url-status=dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100306010606/http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/4281
|archive-date = 2010-03-06
}}</ref> and access to export markets.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/FindingMissingMarkets.pdf
|title = Finding Missing Markets (and a disturbing epilogue): Evidence from an Export Crop Adoption and Marketing Intervention in Kenya
|author1 = Nava Ashraf
|author2 = Xavier Giné
|author3 = Dean Karlan
|publisher = Innovations for Poverty Action, Financial Access Initiative
|url-status=dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110727183628/http://www.poverty-action.org/sites/default/files/FindingMissingMarkets.pdf
|archive-date = 2011-07-27
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2018-02-17
| url = http://poverty-action.org/project/0083
| title = Project page: Finding Missing Markets: An Agricultural Brokerage Intervention in Kenya
| publisher = Innovations for Poverty Action| date = 2015-04-22
}}</ref>

== External reviews ==

=== GiveWell review ===
In November 2011, charity evaluator [[GiveWell]] published a review of IPA<ref>[http://givewell.org/international/charities/ipa GiveWell official review of IPA] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521040755/http://givewell.org/international/charities/ipa |date=2012-05-21 }}</ref> and listed it among six standout organizations<ref>[http://givewell.org/charities/top-charities GiveWell list of top-rated charities] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211051418/http://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities |date=2012-12-11 }}</ref> along with [[GiveDirectly]], [[KIPP]] ([[Houston]] branch), [[Nyaya Health]], [[Pratham]], and [[Small Enterprise Foundation]] but below the two top-rated charities [[Against Malaria Foundation]] and [[Schistosomiasis Control Initiative]].

=== The Life You Can Save ===
The advocacy and education outreach organization The Life You Can Save founded after of the release of the [[Peter Singer]] book ''[[The Life You Can Save]]'', rates IPA as a trusted charity backed by evidence.<ref name="Where to Donate">{{cite web|url=http://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/Where-to-Donate |title=Publications |publisher=The Life You Can Save |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924131232/http://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/Where-to-Donate |archive-date=2015-09-24 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab]]
* [[More Than Good Intentions]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Poverty-related organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 2002]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Organizations based in New Haven, Connecticut]]

Innovations for Poverty Action - Revision history

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