Skip to main content

Who We Are

At IPR, we provide the evidence that policymakers need to make people’s lives better.

Our Mission

The Institute for Policy Research (IPR) is an interdisciplinary public policy research institute founded in 1968 at Northwestern University. Our mission is to stimulate and support excellent social science research on significant public policy issues and to disseminate the findings widely—to students, scholars, policymakers, and the public.

Our Community

Supporting Research

IPR offers a range of services to our faculty and students, divided broadly between administrative and communications supports.

As part of Northwestern University, IPR is housed under the Office for Research, but it also works closely with other schools and departments, in particular, the School of Education and Social Policy, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Pritzker School of Law, Feinberg School of Medicine, and Kellogg School of Management, in addition to collaborating with funders and external organizations and institutions.

Our Groups and Centers

IPR has several IPR faculty-led and faculty-affiliated labs and research groups.

Learn about IPR's research groups and centers.