Beyond Randomized Controlled Trials
How the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Evidence to Policy (E2P) community are integrating innovation and evidence into social policy and practice at scale.
Measurement & Evaluation - Most Popular
New ways to measure and evaluate the impact an organization’s work has on society (more)
Smart Decision-Making
The social sector is drowning in evidence-based research but more often than not fails to use it effectively. Bridging the divide requires a more holistic approach to decision-making. A feature story from the Spring 2020 issue.
Closing the Evaluation Gap
Evaluations have become critical to nonprofit performance, but they are prohibitively expensive for many organizations. Solving this problem will make the sector more equitable and successful. A Viewpoint from the Spring 2020 issue.
Review
The Technology Treadmill
Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson’s Ingenious applies concepts and metaphors from evolutionary biology to explain the impact of technological innovation on human life. A book review from the Spring 2020 issue.
Shaping Research to Create More Social Impact
Co-creating evidence with communities and decision makers can lead to research with more impact.
Collaboration
On Hiatus: Call for Submissions to SSIR Series on Social Change in an Era of Extreme Polarization
In response to the coronavirus epidemic, SSIR has temporarily halted seeking submissions for a series on extreme polarization and how it affects civil society's efforts to solve social problems, and how to build collaborations, communicate with the public, and manage conflict in a divided world.
Reframing Human Services for Greater Impact
To realize the full value of human services community-based organizations, we need to change both the narrative around what they do and the structures for funding them, stressing shared values and a commitment to outcomes.
How Philanthropy Can Help Lead on Data Justice
By embracing community-based participatory research and other equity approaches to data, philanthropy can change the game, revitalize research and communities, and realize greater impact.
Predicting a ‘Kilo of Impact’
Instead of relying on measurement to prove the value of a past investment, determining the value of an intervention before it has even started allows investors to factor in social impact alongside calculations of financial value.
A Farmer’s Market
The Ecosystem Services Market will enable farmers to use improvements in soil health—the key to water conservation and soil carbon sequestration—to generate ecosystem-service credits that they will be able to sell. A What's Next article from the Winter 2020 issue.