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Photo credit: Kate Holt / MCSP

Evidence Brief: Increasing Childhood Immunization in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Demand-Side Approaches

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Authors: Savanna Henderson

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and Shana Warren

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Childhood immunization is one of the most powerful and cost-effective tools for saving young lives, preventing an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths every year and severe morbidity for millions more children from devastating diseases. Although there have been substantial gains in childhood immunization globally, coverage still lags in many countries, leaving millions vulnerable to disease. A particular challenge is on the demand side: even when vaccines are available, many people don’t receive them. In this evidence brief

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, IPA presents rigorous evidence on demand-side interventions, with a particular focus on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed at increasing child immunization in low- and middle-income countries.

READ THE FULL PUBLICATION

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Research Highlight

Community Interventions to Improve Mental Health and Social Cohesion in Conflict-Affected Areas in Myanmar

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Photo: A mental health group therapy session. © IPA

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Researchers: Nicolas Cerkez, Alexandra Hartman, Jonathan Weigel, and Kyaw Zay Ya

In war-affected settings, a severe lack of health infrastructure forces people to rely on community-based groups to cope with the mental health challenges they face. In Kayin, Myanmar—a region caught in the middle of the ongoing civil war—researchers evaluated whether a psychosocial skills group counseling program and group activities improved mental health, well-being, and social cohesion. Participants of the group counseling program strengthened relationships with other members of the community, expected more from village leaders to provide basic services, and practiced religion more as a coping mechanism. This localized approach to mental health care offers a promising model to build resilience and community functioning in humanitarian contexts where formal mental health services are unavailable.

READ THE FULL SUMMARY

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Policy Insight

Can a Small Sachet Make a Big Difference?

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Photo: A child eating a lipid-based nutrient supplement product from the Enov range in Burkina Faso. © Nutriset

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Researchers: Günther Fink, Doug Parkerson

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, Peter Rockers, and Dorothy Sikazwe

Stunting affects approximately 42 percent of children under five in Zambia, with the highest rates among children in the lowest-income households. One promising intervention to reduce stunting is the provision of Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS)

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, 20-gram sachets of fortified paste designed to address nutrient gaps in children’s diets between 6 and 23 months. They provide energy, protein, fats, and key micronutrients and can be added to meals or consumed directly. IPA is working with policymakers and researchers to explore how to scale SQ-LNS in Zambia and other countries facing high rates of malnutrition and food insecurity.

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Links of Interest

Doing by Learning: Q&A with Dean Karlan

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In a recent interview with the Agency Fund

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, Dean Karlan

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, Founder of IPA and Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, reflected on the randomized controlled trial (RCT) movement, what’s been learned, what remains unknown, and what’s next.

Gender and Consumer Protection Learning Agenda

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IPA’s Consumer Protection Research Initiative (CPRI)

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recently launched a Call for Research Proposals

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on evaluating interventions that reduce consumer risks and build trust in digital payments and credit products. Among other themes, CPRI is particularly interested in ​​​​research that examines gender disparities in consumer protection, including solutions that may be particularly effective at mitigating risks and building trust for women. CPRI has developed a learning agenda

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to outline the existing evidence on consumer protection risks for women, assess potential solutions, and identify priority gaps in the literature.

The Impact of a Low-Cost Learning Intervention in the Philippines

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For young children, home is a key setting to gain important foundational skills. Yet it is sometimes assumed that parents in low-resource settings are not able to directly support children's educational instruction, since they are not trained teachers and might not have much education experience themselves. In a new working paper

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, co-authors Noam Angrist, Sarah Kabay

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(Education Program Director, IPA), Dean Karlan, Lincoln Lau, and Kevin Wong highlight how in the Philippines, a program supporting parents to play flashcard games teaching math & phonics increased early childhood learning, with impacts lasting one year later.

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Events



Empowering Women through Digital Inclusion International Conference, Ghana

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July 2-3, 2025



Webinar | Measuring the “True” Cost of Digital Financial Services: Transaction Cost Index Year 2 Results

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April 30, 2025



IPA Rwanda Signs Memorandum of Understanding with the Gender Monitoring Office to Formalize Gender Evidence Lab

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April 28, 2025



Displaced Livelihoods Webinar Series | Emerging Evidence on Refugee Employment in Cox’s Bazar

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April 22, 2025



Q&A Webinar | Consumer Protection Call for Proposals

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April 16, 2025



SEE ALL EVENTS HERE

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Employment Opportunities

Digital Engagement & Content Manager, Global Communications | Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, or Nigeria

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Lead content strategy and engagement initiatives across multiple channels, including social media. This role combines creative storytelling with strategic communications to engage diverse audiences, including donors, partners, policymakers, and researchers.



Policy Manager | Abuja, Nigeria

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Work closely with global and local teams to drive IPA Nigeria’s evidence-to-impact agenda. The Policy Manager will pursue scale-up opportunities of promising programs; create and manage opportunities for policymakers to use evidence in decision-making; scope replications of evidence-based programs that have been rigorously evaluated in other contexts; and develop funding opportunities to resource strategic policy projects.



Research Associate | Lima, Peru

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Support a team of investigators from Northwestern University, GRADE, and Harvard University in collaboration with the Central Bank of Peru (BCRP) on a project that aims to evaluate the impact of launching a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) on households’ financial inclusion, savings, and consumption.



SEE ALL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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