On November 13, research by RIPL Faculty Associates Justine Hastings and Jesse Shapiro was posted on Policies for Action, a signature research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as part of their evidence base for learning how national, state or local policies can promote lifelong health and health equity.
We are growing! We started in Rhode Island with our successful prototype lab, the Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab (RIIPL). We are expanding our work by building new public and public-private partnerships to increase economic opportunity in Rhode Island and in states and counties across the country. Our new name reflects our continued mission to provide fact-based, proven solutions to improve people's lives. The mission hasn't changed!
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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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."
"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."
"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 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."
"The most basic pre-requisite for evidence-based policy – good data."
"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."
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
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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.
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
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.