Research support
We provide general research support to researchers (Northwestern faculty and students) wanting to conduct development research, in particular, but not exclusively fieldwork and randomized trials.
This research will often come through a collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action. IPA has conducted over 650 randomized evaluations to date, has 21 country offices around the world, and has extensive experience in implementing surveys, project vetting, and development and partner and stakeholder management.
Project Development
GPRL assists faculty and students with navigating the whole process of setting up and running research and helps them liaise with GPRL cluster and IPA country office staff who will manage study implementation. In China, the centers at Fudan and PKU will host faculty and students and connect them with Chinese researchers and smooth access to data.
Methodological Research and Survey Support
GPRL leads methodological research to create up to date and relevant resources that benefit the entire research community, as well as provide direct support to Northwestern faculty and students who need help putting surveys together. We also develop programs and procedures for data cleaning and analysis. Lastly, we provide support so that data are publicly available to increase the impact on both future research and policy.
Software and Technology Development
The success of many development projects depends largely on technology, either for data collection or an intervention itself. A shared technology resource provides the core operations on top of which “innovation research” projects can be built. GPRL provides support for building technological solutions, apps, mobile platforms, and websites, that are used either for data collection or as a component of an intervention being tested. This component also works well to involve students interested in thinking through entrepreneurial market strategies, i.e., how does one take successful ideas with evidence and bring them to market.