INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH

What are the best methods for determining if programs, policies, or practices are effective? How do we integrate qualitative and quantitative data to deepen our understanding of social issues? This research area is rooted in the work of the Statistics for Evidence-Based Policy and Practice (STEPP) Center, which serves practitioners and policymakers by developing and promoting state-of-the-art research methods in the applied social sciences. Faculty in this area develop methods for generating strong evidence, synthesizing the results of multiple studies, and translating findings to inform policy and practice.

A Message From Larry Hedges, Co-Program Chair and STEPP Co-Director

The STEPP Center provides policy researchers with the state-the-art tools they need to answer important societal questions. These include methods for generating evidence, integrating research findings from multiple studies, and translating findings for policymakers and other key audiences

Working Papers

Recently published articles and working papers in this program area include:

Jeff Dominitz and Charles F. Manski. 2024. Comprehensive OOS Evaluation of Predictive Algorithms with Statistical Decision Theory (WP-24-10).

Eli Finkel, Alexander Landry, James Druckman, Jay Van Bavel, and Rick Hoyle. 2024. Partisan Antipathy and the Erosion of Democratic Norms (WP-24-01).

Lorenzo Franchi, Natalia Barreto Parra, Anna Chorniy, Benjamin Weston, John Meurer, Jeffrey Whittle, Ronald Ackermann, and Bernard Black . 2023. A Comparative Assessment of Measures of Area-Level Socio-Economic Status (WP-23-43).

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Faculty Experts

This collaborative group of interdisciplinary scholars stems from statistics, economics, education, political science, and other social science fields.

Larry V. Hedges

Elizabeth Tipton

Jennifer Tackett

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