Hi John,

Over the past year—both before and after the pandemic began—we worked with our partners not only to generate strong evidence but also to ensure it is used to improve programs and policies to improve lives. This latter part—ensuring evidence is used—is a critical and growing component of IPA’s work. I’d like to share some of the exciting ways, large and small, that IPA's research has translated into better programs and policies in 2020.

This past year:

In response to initial findings from an IPA evaluation, Ghana’s Ministry of Education incorporated targeted instruction into a US$170 million project, funded by the World Bank and Global Partnership for Education, aimed at improving the quality of education for nearly two million children in low-performing primary schools in Ghana.
A new startup nonprofit organization, Taimaka, used IPA evidence—showing that loan offers allowed farmers to store more maize and earn slightly higher revenues in Kenya—to design and launch its agricultural program in northern Nigeria, providing bridge loans and storage bags to farmers.
In Mexico, security policymakers at the municipal and national levels used recent IPA evidence on procedural justice training to improve how they train police officers.
Peru’s Ministry of Education (Minedu) is using data to make informed decisions about how to deliver education during the pandemic.

As we look ahead to 2021 and beyond, IPA will be working even more to equip decision-makers to use evidence to achieve our mission, but we need your support to increase our impact!