Research Pillars
Research Clusters at the Global Poverty Research Lab
The Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) at Northwestern University advances innovative, field-based research to better understand and alleviate poverty across the globe. Our work is organized around several key research clusters, each focusing on specific themes or regions to generate actionable insights and policy-relevant findings.
The clusters are built around a simple principle: we can produce more and better research by creating a common infrastructure, whether geographic or sectoral, upon which to then engage in research and policy work. At inception, we absorbed and expanded several existing clusters and are proactively building new ones.
GPRL Pillars
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Drive Frontier Research. We generate cutting-edge research in development economics and co-create long-run panel surveys with local universities, governments, and civil society, enabling longer-term insights and supporting layered RCTs.
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Advance Research Methods. We build and test better ways to measure and learn, from questionnaire design and enumerator training to rapid-cycle experiments that implementers can run on their own administrative data to fine-tune delivery models, incentives, and protocols.
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Aggregate Global Evidence. We compile scattered RCT evidence into living knowledge bases, run rigorous meta-analyses, and deliver insights through evidence syntheses, interactive dashboards, and publicly accessible data for donors, investors, and practitioners.
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Increase Aid Effectiveness. We turn evidence into ready-to-use decision tools, "smart buys" menus, and ROI/cost-effectiveness frameworks for donors, ministries, multilaterals, impact investors, and social enterprises.
Get Involved
- Training sites: Student-training sites continuously host students, both undergraduate and graduate, to learn about and contribute to the research process. The partnership will support summer, semester-long or yearlong internships for Northwestern undergraduates working in one of the clusters. Students in research clusters engage directly in the research process.
- Development research: Northwestern faculty and graduate students are invited to contribute to ongoing development research in either geographic or sectoral clusters
- Research assistantships: There will also be a post-baccalaureate program of research assistants working for one to two years on cluster research, as well as direct engagement of PhD or MBA students in cluster-supported research.