Institution profile
IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action)
Nonprofit that designs and evaluates programs with rigorous research methods, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries.
7
Experiments
2003–2016
Year span
5 / 7
Positive findings
1
Null findings
Top policy areas
- Public Health · 2
- International Development · 2
- Financial Services · 2
- Voter Engagement · 1
Experiments from IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action)
- Null
Clean Cookstove Adoption in Rural India
University of Chicago / Harvard / IPA · India (Orissa state) · 2016 · Public Health
Effect: Stove adoption high initially but usage fell to 50% after 1 year and 25% after 4 years; no significant improvement in health outcomes detected
- Mixed
Impact of Microcredit — Mexico
Compartamos Banco / MIT / Innovations for Poverty Action · Rural Mexico · 2015 · International Development
Effect: No significant effect on average household income or consumption; business investment increased for existing entrepreneurs; female-run businesses showed modest profit gains
- Positive
Text Message Get-Out-the-Vote Campaigns
Stanford / Yale / IPA (Malhotra, Michelson, Rogers, Valenzuela and others) · California and multiple US states · 2011 · Voter Engagement
Effect: Average effect: 0.3–0.9 percentage points across studies; effects are reliable but small per message; at scale (statewide campaigns reaching millions), effects translate to tens of thousands of additional votes
- Positive
Commitment Savings Accounts for Agricultural Workers
IPA / Equity Bank Kenya · Kenya · 2008 · Financial Services
Effect: Commitment account holders: +82% savings relative to controls; agricultural input expenditures +37%; output +22%
- Positive
Chlorine Dispensers at Water Sources
Innovations for Poverty Action / Evidence Action · Western Kenya · 2007 · Public Health
Effect: Chlorine uptake: 61% vs. 10% for bottle distribution; diarrhea incidence: -26% in dispenser communities
- Positive
SEED Commitment Savings Account — Philippines
Yale University / IPA (Ashraf, Karlan, Yin) · Mindanao, Philippines · 2004 · Financial Services
Effect: 28% of those offered SEED accounts opened one; savings balances increased by 82 pesos per week (approximately 81% of control mean) for account openers; no significant spillover to those offered but who declined
- Positive
Kenya Insecticide-Treated Bednet Distribution
IPA / Harvard / MIT · Western Kenya · 2003 · International Development
Effect: Free distribution: 99% take-up; subsidized (10 cents): 75%; near-market price: 25%; usage among recipients did not differ significantly by price paid; no 'free makes you value it less' effect found