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RIPL

RESEARCH IMPROVING PEOPLE'S LIVES

RIPL

- \'ri-pel\ - ripple effect

Repercussions of an event experienced far beyond its immediate location.

RIPL & Rhode Island Create Scalable Cloud Solution for Covid Crisis Response
A new article in the journal Digital Government: Research and Practice describes how RIPL and the State of Rhode Island developed a scalable cloud solution to collect Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims as part of a new program created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to extend unemployment benefits to independent contractors and gig-economy workers not covered by traditional Unemployment Insurance.
Read the Digital Government Article Here
RIPL partners with Rhode Island to connect Rhode Islanders to opportunity with Artificial Inteligence and Machine Learning
RIPL scientists are partnering with Rhode Island to develop the CareerCompass™ RI bot, a first-of-its-kind job discovery bot that uses Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to successfully connect Rhode Islanders to new jobs and careers with personalized, data-driven recommendations. Read more about the initiative here!
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Raimondo administration announces new effort to help job seekers
The State of Rhode Island has partnered with Google Cloud and the nonprofit Research Improving People’s Lives to create the virtual career center and job-matching program, Back to Work Rhode Island.
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Milken Institute 2020 Global Conference: Reimagining the American Dream
RIPL Founder and Director, Justine Hastings takes part in a panel, moderated by Nicholas Kristof to discuss what it would take to reimagine the American Dream. The panelists attempt to identify the essential elements all individuals must possess to thrive and attain their personal American Dreams.
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Summer of Open Data
Data innovation differs greatly across sectors, from national and subnational government, to the corporate sector, to research and policymaking. As we enter the Third Wave of Open Data, there is more work to do when it comes to data collaboration and governance.
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Smart Cities Week
Data innovation differs greatly across sectors, from national and subnational government, to the corporate sector, to research and policymaking. As we enter the Third Wave of Open Data, there is more work to do when it comes to data collaboration and governance.
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How Bill Timing Affects Low-Income and Aged Households
Nearly half of all Americans live paycheck to paycheck, with little savings to respond to an unexpected shock like a car repair or hospital bill. Many low-income and elderly households are reliant on government programs to make ends meet.
Read NBER Bulletin Here
RIPL Helps Rhode Island with Response to Covid Crisis
RIPL helped the Stated Rhode Island design and launch the first claims system in the country to deliver CARES Act benefits to Rhode Island workers and families, and produced open-source software that can be used by other states.
Read more about our work and its coverage in Governing Magazine here
RIPL paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In January 2020, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published research by RIPL researchers Justine Hastings, Mark Howison, and Sarah Inman on using anonymized administrative data and machine learning algorithms to predict high-risk opioid prescriptions before they are given.
Read Article Here
RIPL Research Featured In the CACM
RIPL researchers Justine Hastings, Mark Howison, Ted Lawless, John Ucles, and Preston White release new research on unlocking the power of data to improve public policy and help government programs better serve those in need. See our featured article in Communications of the ACM here!
See Cover Article Here
Rhode2College Program Highlighted in Video by Governor Raimondo
“Getting that text or that email reminding you ‘get this done' was really good, because I actually saw a change in my scores.” Hear directly from the incredible students in the Rhode2College program, our statewide initiative to help low- and moderate-income students step-by-step to successfully prepare for and enroll in college! RIPL is proud to partner with Rhode Island to help students achieve their potential.
Watch Video Here
New research with impact! Early low-cost investments in infant health cause large educational gains and social services savings.
RIPL researchers Eric Chyn, Samantha Gold, and Justine Hastings release new research using administrative data from Rhode Island to measure the causal impact of health investments at birth for Very Low Birth Weight infants on educational outcomes and social services usage.
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We are getting low-income students on the road to college!
On Monday, September 24th, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo announced the Rhode2College Program, a new statewide initiative to help low-to-middle-income high school students successfully continue on to college. RIPL is proud to partner with Rhode Island on this important initiative.
To Find Out More, Click Here
New research posted!
RIPL researchers Justine Hastings, Ryan Kessler, Jesse Shapiro release new research using detailed grocery retailer data to provide new evidence on how SNAP participation affects the nutritional quality of food that families buy.
Click Here
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Our Mission

We use data and science to impact policy and improve people’s lives.

Impact and improvement can be abstract concepts. We’re committed to making them real.

Imagine a social support system for America’s struggling families and communities that is more efficient, more effective and more accountable. A system where we know what works and why. A system that provides an achievable path from poverty to prosperity for all.

All Americans deserve a chance to pursue their dreams. Yet, opportunity and economic mobility are elusive for many Americans living in persistently poor and disadvantaged communities. Opportunity gaps emerge at birth, with vulnerable infants facing health outcomes equivalent to those in the developing world, and continue into education, earnings, adult health, and life longevity.

To make meaningful change, we must think bolder, spend smarter, and invest in solutions that deliver measurable results by breaking down the barriers that keep people from reaching their full potential. We are devoted to helping policymakers, communities, and stakeholders make the best and most-informed decisions to achieve these goals.

“RIPL is making it possible for my agency to solve problems with data that we weren’t able to solve before. Their commitment to bringing innovative data solutions to the table means that I’m supported in understanding how policies in my agency and those in other agencies impact or interfere with each other. I am able to make informed policy decisions in ways I wasn’t able to before the RIPL partnership.”
Macky McClearyAdministrator of the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers
“RIPL is making it possible for my agency to solve problems with data that we weren’t able to solve before. Their commitment to bringing innovative data solutions to the table means that I’m supported in understanding how policies in my agency and those in other agencies impact or interfere with each other. I am able to make informed policy decisions in ways I wasn’t able to before the RIPL partnership.”
Macky McClearyAdministrator of the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers
“RIPL is a responsive, skilled and trusted partner that shares our commitment to using data to inform policymaking. The invaluable insight and technical assistance provided by RIPL helped the Department fully leverage our data to make better use of federal funds, understand how best to help workers re-enter the workforce, and measure the impact of workforce development programs. We look forward to future collaboration with RIPL as we work to prepare all Rhode Islanders for in-demand jobs.”
Scott JensenDirector of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
“RIPL helps us prove a concept—that we can measure what happens to children DCYF touches and use those facts to transform family policy for the better. RIPL and DCYF proved that not only could we measure these outcomes short- and long-term, but we could measure the impact of our own policies retrospectively and make informed decisions for children and families in need. RIPL researchers have the expertise and ability to aggregate data across multiple systems, which gave us a comprehensive analysis of our state’s children and youth and the effectiveness of particular services. RIPL gave us the support we needed to build a better juvenile justice system for the state and strengthen our home and community-based service array."
Trista PiccolaDirector of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families
"Investing in data-driven and fact-based policy is vital to helping people in need. We need to be innovative and proactive in government to support our communities and families to the best of our ability. Our partnership with RIPL helps us use objective research and data at high speed so we can do just that. RIPL's approach to data and science for social good could benefit local and state government throughout the country."
Eric BeaneSecretary, Rhode Island EOHHS
"Our chief weapons [in the war on poverty]... better schools, and better health, and better homes, and better training, and better job opportunities to help more Americans."
President Lyndon Jonhson
"President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty in the United States in 1964... In retrospect it is clear that there were lots of ideas about how to help the poor, but few of the ideas had been tested."
Ron HaskinsThe Brookings Institution
"The most basic pre-requisite for evidence-based policy – good data."
Margery Austin TurnerThe Urban Institute
"Policymakers must have good information on which to base their decisions about improving the viability and effectiveness of government programs and policies. Today, too little evidence is produced to meet this need."
The Commission on Evidence-based Policy Making
“RIPL has become a trusted partner we can engage to help us design new ways to improve lives for more students meaningfully and measurably. RIPL always get the job done efficiently, effectively, and with a focus on our core needs. They consistently prioritize how they can deliver the most value for the students and families we serve.”
Arthur NevinsEducation Policy Advisor at the Office of the Governor
“Through partnership, insights, and integrated data, RIPL gave our team the jump start we needed to improve how our state serves whole people, families and communities. RIPL’s ability to quickly gather, clean, connect, and curate data for analysis – and then apply machine learning in collaboration with our teams’ context – gave us a new sense of the possible for data-driven policy-making, academic partnerships, and continuous improvement. Because of this jump start and the credibility it helped us build through our first major integrated data project, we have now built the capacity to conduct our own integration and analysis in the future, expanding our ability to serve our communities and help families in need.”
Kimberly PaullDirector of Data and Analytics for the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services
“RIPL brings people together around data to solve problems. Working with RIPL over the last couple years has given RI Law Enforcement the opportunity to use RIPL’s integrity and data mining expertise to foster partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders to review often challenging policies. Their professional approach to using data has built trust and promoted transparency without judgement, which has been a refreshing approach for us. I look forward to future partnerships with RIPL as we develop more processes that improve policy with facts.”
Chief Sid WordellExecutive Director of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association
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How We Work

We are leading the effort to use data and science to build superhighways from poverty to prosperity.

Our unique approach turns facts into results by combining high-powered research, policy expertise, and technical know-how to give governments the tools they need to better serve their communities.

We believe success comes from partnership every step of the way. We help our partners develop a culture of asking the right questions and using data to objectively answer them. We deliver the tools needed to identify answers and turn those answers into actionable steps to improve lives.

Measurement in the moment

Relational databases for government insight.

We take large-scale, difficult-to-use data from across county, state and federal agencies, and transform them into relational databases which put the facts you need at your fingertips.

Is prenatal health insurance improving outcomes for previously uninsured mothers?

Can labor training programs help reduce recidivism?

How are elementary school students impacted by parental incarceration?

By turning unwieldy administrative record systems into reliable data for insights, we help our partners ask and answer the questions they need to improve policy and provide better services to their communities.

Measuring what works and why

Research results that matter.

We use our scientific expertise, and technical know-how to turn your data into insights. Our passion is measuring cause and effect so that we know what works and why.

From uncovering the predictors of opioid misuse to understanding what policies from birth improve school academic performance for at-risk children, we use the best research methods and analysis to uncover the roots of inequality and design solutions proven to cause lasting improvements in people’s lives.

Turning facts into action

Policy improvement from start to finish.

We turn research into results using market research, behavioral science, economics, and data to figure out what will improve lives, and then make it into reality.

Our interdisciplinary team of economists, data scientists, and policy experts work directly with our partners from the start to finish of policy improvement. We work with our partners to develop policy improvements, design implementation plans, pilot the policy, and measure success.

Learn More About Our Process

What We Do

We help policymakers turn facts into results for everyday Americans, every day.

Here’s what we know: we can’t improve if we can’t measure where we are or how far we are from where we want to be.
That’s why we are leading the effort to use data and science to build superhighways from poverty to prosperity. Our unique approach turns facts into results by combining high-powered research, policy expertise, and technical know-how to give governments the data-driven tools they need to better serve their communities.

INITIATIVE ONE

CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP

providing all children with the opportunity to reach their full potential.

INITIATIVE TWO

SOCIAL PROGRAM INNOVATION

Improving Policy Impact To Alleviate Poverty And Deliver Economic Opportunity

INITIATIVE THREE

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Improving Criminal Justice Programs To Prevent Crime And Reduce Recidivism

INITIATIVE FOUR

REGULATION THAT WORKS

Ensuring Regulations Meet Valuable Goals While Minimizing Negative Impacts

Learn More About Our Work

Who We Are

We are problem-solvers with a measurable track record of excellence in public policy solutions.

We are a nonprofit organization with a track record of excellence in public policy solutions. We use advanced data analytics, rigorous research, and strong, lasting collaborations with government and private-sector partners to design meaningful and measurable policy solutions which improve equity and economic opportunity for all American families.
We draw from a network of expert researchers at universities across the country to form partnerships and deliver expertise and proven results.
Meet the RIPL Team

Using data and science to impact policy and improve lives.

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