Partners

Research Institutes:

Bankable Frontier Associates

Headed by David Porteus, Bankable Frontier Associates is a niche consulting firm, based in Boston MA, USA. Bankable Frontier Associates specializes in the design and evaluation of policies and strategies which extend the bankable frontier; that is, the reach of formal financial services into low income communities around the world. Technology and regulatory policy changes are powerful forces reshaping the boundary at which financial services can be provided, and the principal of the firm has been actively involved in research and analysis of this frontier for over a decade as well as setting up and running public, private and non-profit entities which provide services at the frontier. The frontier is both an opportunity and a challenge to policy makers and to financial service providers. Bankable Frontier Associates specializes in advising, designing and evaluating initiatives which address the challenge, and take the opportunity. Recent clients have included: the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), the Department for International Development (DFID), FinMark Trust, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and MicroSave.

The institutions below are partners with IPA in completing fieldwork and analysis:

Center for Microfinance (CMF)

Due to tremendous growth in the microfinance industry, the Centre for Micro Finance (CMF) was created to answer fundamental questions on the impact of microfinance on the lives of the poor and on what products are still needed. CMF answers these questions by assisting in product and program design and through research.

CMF’s mission is to help improve the life of the poor by: (1) systematically researching the links between access to financial services and the participation of the poor in the larger economy; and (2) participating in maximizing access to financial services and its impact for the poor through research, policy advocacy, practitioner and institution trainings, and strategy-building for microfinance institutions. To achieve these objectives the Centre works in partnership with various MFIs in India, banks and other kinds of investors, training institutions and several academic institutions in India and abroad, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Yale, Harvard, New York University (NYU) and Indian School of Business (ISB). The Centre has two distinct units that work closely together: the Research Unit and the MFIs Strategy Unit (MSU), which, through its capacity building activities, ensures that the results of the research activities are implemented properly on the ground.

Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE)

The Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE) is a private, non-profit, non-political research center. Its mission is to conduct applied research to stimulate and enrich the debate, design and implementation of public policies. Since its founding in 1980 in Lima, Peru, GRADE has devoted itself to the study of economic, educational, environmental and social topics, in areas relevant to the development of Peru and other Latin American countries. The institution seeks to make known the results of its work among those responsible for formulating policy and the general public. To fully comply with the institutional mission, those who work in GRADE do rigorous academic research, with a high degree of objectivity. This ensures that their conclusions about the nature and causes of economic and social processes are substantiated by solid empirical data. Although not an institution that actively defends specific policies, GRADE has fortified its communication channels to reach a broad public. Results of research done by GRADE are disseminated by different means so as to guarantee their application in policy design and implementation.

Institute of Statistics, Social and Economic Research

ISSER was established by the University of Ghana in 1962 as the Institute of Statistics, to provide a programme of teaching and research in statistics, with particular reference to the methodology, collection and analysis of official statistics. It was also to advise interested bodies on statistical design, analysis and computer programming. A UN Statistical Training Centre, also established in 1962 to run middle-level Statistical Training Programmes for Public Servants in Africa, was brought under the auspices of the Institute in 1966. It was later realised that expanding the scope of the Institute to include fundamental and applied research in the social sciences, to establish the basic data needed for effective development and modernisation, would be beneficial to the nation as a whole. It is in line with this vision that the Institute was converted, in 1969, into the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER). The United Nations continued its support of statistical training until 1972 when ISSER fully took over. The expansion of the scope of the Institute to embrace socio-economic research was facilitated by adequate funding from government, other national and international organisations. This enabled several multi-disciplinary research projects to be executed, which were primarily focused on the socio-economic development of Ghana.

Movimiento Manuela Ramos (MMR), Lima, Peru

The Movimiento Mauela Ramos (MMR) was created in 1978, as Peru was emerging from 10 years of military dictatorship, to advocate for gender equality in Peru in all aspects of legal, economic, social, political, and reproductive rights. Today it is considered one of the leading authorities on women’s rights in Peru when dealing with government, political parties, interest groups, the media, and civil society organizations. Its mission is to contribute to human development and consolidate democracy by bringing about gender equity through the empowerment of women. MMR developed its current programs through a participatory process involving the rural women whose lives they sought to change. They currently reach more than 300,000 Peruvians directly and countless more indirectly through its reproductive health, political, legal and financial rights programs.

Office of Population Studies (OPS), University of San Carlos, Philippines

The Office of Population Studies (OPS) was founded in 1971 by Dr. Wilhelm Flieger, a demographer trained at the University of Chicago. Since then, OPS has contributed to the development initiatives in the Visayas region and the Philippines by training researchers and conducting research in the areas of demography, health and nutrition, environment, gender and other socioeconomic issues. OPS promotes research of government programs and advocates better knowledge on population-related concerns. They have been funded by foreign and international agencies, such as USAID, UNFPA, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.

Research Institute for Mindanao Culture (RIMCU), Xavier University, Philippines

Founded in 1957 by Rev. Dr. Francis C. Madigan, the Research Institute for Mindanao Culture (RIMCU) has developed into the largest research unit at Xavier University. RIMCU research focuses on social and economic development in Mindanao and other regions in the Philippines. The institution is funded by government agencies and private organizations and has conducted extensive research in the fields of demography, anthropology, economics, history, and political science. Through research and consultancy, RIMCU works for a better life and richer culture for all people in Mindanao.