Innovations for Poverty Action is a research and policy non-profit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems.
Most of our work is done in 21 country offices by our trained field researchers who collaborate with a network of academics from top universities in the world. We use randomized evaluations—the method used in clinical trials—to understand which programs work, which don’t, and why.
We also work with policymakers to make sure our research addresses their most pressing issues and to help them create policies and programs based on the best available evidence. To date we’ve run over 750 randomized evaluations in 51 countries across agriculture, education, financial inclusion, health, governance, peace & recovery, small & medium enterprises, and social protection. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.
Our Leadership
Dean Karlan
Dean is the Frederic Esser Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and Co-Director of the Buffett Institute's Global Poverty Research Lab. He is the Founder of Innovations for Poverty Action and Co-Founder (with Elijah Goldberg) of ImpactMatters. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago's Harris Graduate School of Public Policy and Graduate School of Business, and received his Ph.D in 2002 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dean is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. In addition, he is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).
His research focuses on microeconomic issues of poverty, typically employing experimental methodologies and behavioral economics insights to examine what works, what does not, and why in interventions in sustainable income generation for those in poverty, household and entrepreneurial finance, health behavior, and charitable giving. He works on issues for low-income households in both developing countries and the United States. Read more about his studies and publications here.
For high resolution versions of the images above, click on the image. Photo credits: Michael Marsland/Yale University.
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Annie Duflo
Annie is responsible for leading the strategic directions of IPA, the implementation of its strategic plan and the day to day operations. Previously, Annie served as IPA's Research Director where she managed IPA's research network, staff capacity-building, and new project development. She also played a key role in the scaling up of successful programs with particular focus on education. Annie has a wealth of experience implementing and managing randomized evaluations in the field. Prior to joining IPA, Annie was the Executive Director of the Centre for Microfinance (CMF) at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) in Chennai, India, which she joined at its creation. Annie holds a Master of Public Administration and International Development degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Master in Social Sciences from EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales)/ ENS (École Normale Supérieure) in Paris. Read more about Annie here.
