How We Work

We assemble interdisciplinary teams of policy experts, technologists, and data scientists.

RIPL's organizational structure is strategically designed to support and reinforce its three-pillared approach to developing evidence-based solutions for the public sector. This structure reflects the interdisciplinary nature of RIPL's work and ensures that policy expertise, innovative technology, and rigorous scientific methods are seamlessly integrated throughout all levels of the organization.

Our staff teams are encouraged to work across traditional boundaries and leverage diverse skill sets. As a result, we offer our public sector partners solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also grounded in policy realities and operational feasibility. This interdisciplinary ethos enables us to tackle complex issues like economic mobility, education, healthcare, and public safety with a nuanced, multi-faceted approach that reflects the intricate, interconnected nature of these challenges.

We’re primarily divided into two key divisions: Advancement and Delivery. This structure ensures that policy expertise, innovative technology, and rigorous scientific methods are seamlessly integrated throughout all levels of the organization.

The Advancement division focuses on strategic initiatives, partnerships, and engagement. This team is responsible for cultivating relationships with government agencies, academic institutions, and other stakeholders. They ensure that our work remains grounded in real-world policy needs and challenges. By maintaining strong connections with the public sector, the Advancement team helps identify pressing issues and opportunities where our unique approach can make a significant impact.

The Delivery division is responsible for the execution and implementation of our projects and solutions. This team brings together software engineers, data scientists, economists, and product innovators. The Delivery division embodies the technological and scientific pillars of RIPL's approach, developing human-centered technical solutions while ensuring they are evidence-informed.

The interaction and partnership between these two divisions is crucial to our success. The Advancement team's insights into policy needs and challenges inform the Delivery team's work, ensuring that technological solutions are always aligned with real-world requirements. The Delivery team's innovations and findings feed back into the Advancement team's efforts, helping to shape future partnerships and initiatives.

Both divisions include teams that span across RIPL's three pillars. In the Advancement division, teams focus on policy research, strategic planning, and partnership development. In the Delivery division, teams are structured around engineering, data science, and product innovation. This cross-functional approach ensures that every project benefits from a holistic perspective.

At RIPL, we believe that effective solutions start with a deep understanding of the human experiences of those we aim to serve - from job seekers and working families to students and elderly citizens. And our core values of being empathetic, energetically optimistic, ethically innovative, evidence-informed, and effective motivate everything we do. These values guide us as we tackle complex public sector challenges, ensuring that we remain focused on the people our work ultimately impacts.

Central to our approach is our unique partnership model, which begins with a fundamental principle: listen first. We recognize that each government agency, community, and challenge is unique, with its own set of complexities and nuances. That's why, before we propose any solutions, we take the time to truly understand the specific context and needs of our partners.

Our listening-first approach involves in-depth conversations with stakeholders at all levels – from agency leadership to frontline staff and community members. We conduct thorough needs assessments, analyze existing processes, and immerse ourselves in the day-to-day realities of the systems we aim to improve. This deep dive allows us to grasp not just the technical aspects of a challenge, but also the human factors, organizational dynamics, and policy constraints that shape it.

By prioritizing listening and understanding, we ensure that our solutions are not just technically sound, but also practically implementable and culturally appropriate. This approach helps us build trust with our partners, align our efforts with their priorities, and develop solutions that have buy-in at all levels of the organization.

Moreover, our partnership model is collaborative and iterative. We don't see ourselves as external consultants dropping in with pre-packaged solutions. Instead, we work side-by-side with our government partners, co-creating solutions that leverage their institutional knowledge and our technical expertise. This collaborative approach ensures that the solutions we develop are not only effective but also sustainable long after our direct involvement ends.

Through this partnership model, we're able to bridge the gap between cutting-edge data science and the practical realities of public service delivery. By combining our partners' deep understanding of their communities with our expertise in data analysis and technology, we create solutions that are both innovative and grounded in real-world needs.

• We create secure data systems that empower our partners to safely analyze sensitive information, generate actionable insights, and develop user-friendly tools.

At the heart of our work is a steadfast commitment to data privacy and security. We understand that the sensitive nature of the information we handle demands the highest standards of protection. That's why we've implemented a comprehensive set of policies and practices designed to safeguard data at every step of our process.

Our approach to data security begins with state-of-the-art infrastructure. We utilize cloud-based systems with advanced encryption protocols that meet or exceed federal security standards, including FedRAMP compliance where required. This robust infrastructure forms the foundation of our secure data environment.

But security isn't just about technology – it's also about people and processes. We implement strict access controls, granting data access on a need-to-know basis and using multi-factor authentication for all systems handling sensitive information. Our employees undergo regular, mandatory training on data privacy and security best practices, fostering a culture where data protection is everyone's responsibility.

For particularly sensitive projects, we create secure data enclaves – isolated environments where approved researchers can analyze data without the ability to extract or copy it. This approach allows for deep, meaningful analysis while maintaining the highest levels of data security.

We're also committed to data anonymization and encryption. Individual-level data is anonymized by replacing personally identifiable information with unique identifiers, and all data is encrypted both in transit and at rest using industry-standard methods. This ensures that even in the unlikely event of a breach, sensitive information remains protected.

Compliance with regulations is a top priority. We work diligently to ensure we meet all relevant data protection regulations, including HIPAA, FERPA, and state-specific data privacy laws. We collaborate closely with our government partners to establish data use agreements that meet all statutory requirements, providing peace of mind that all data handling is done in accordance with the law.

Regular security audits, both internal and third-party, help us continually identify and address potential vulnerabilities in our systems and processes. And when projects conclude, we follow strict protocols for secure data destruction, ensuring that sensitive information is completely and irretrievably removed from our systems.

Through these comprehensive measures, we maintain the highest standards of data privacy and security. This not only fosters trust with our government partners but also protects the sensitive information of the individuals we ultimately aim to serve. By prioritizing data security, we ensure that our innovative solutions can be implemented with confidence, knowing that the privacy and security of sensitive information is never compromised.

• We rigorously measure and evaluate our impact through a comprehensive, collaborative approach.

Fundamental to our mission is a rigorous and comprehensive approach to measuring and evaluating the impact of our solutions. We believe that true transformation in public service delivery can only be achieved through evidence-based decision-making, and our methodology reflects this commitment.

Our impact measurement process begins with cooperative goal setting. We work hand-in-hand with our public sector partners to establish clear, measurable objectives that align with both their agency's mission and our overarching goal of improving lives through data-driven solutions. This collaborative approach ensures that our efforts are focused on outcomes that truly matter to the communities we serve.

Before implementing any new solution, we conduct thorough baseline assessments. Our interdisciplinary team of data scientists and policy experts analyzes existing data to establish benchmarks, providing a solid foundation for measuring future progress. This initial step is crucial in understanding the current landscape and identifying areas where our interventions can have the most significant impact.

When it comes to evaluation, we employ robust methodologies that meet the highest standards of scientific rigor. Where appropriate, we implement randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard in impact evaluation. In situations where RCTs aren't feasible, we design quasi-experimental studies that still provide strong evidence of program effectiveness. This flexible approach allows us to adapt our evaluation methods to the specific context of each project while maintaining scientific integrity.

Throughout the implementation process, we engage in continuous data collection and analysis. Our advanced data governance protocols ensure that sensitive information is handled with the utmost care, shared only on a need-to-know, use-case specific basis. This approach enables us to provide timely, relevant insights to our partners while upholding the highest standards of data privacy and security.

We believe that effective evaluation is an ongoing, collaborative process. That's why we establish regular feedback loops with our partners, including progress meetings, interactive dashboards, and collaborative workshops. These mechanisms allow us to continuously refine our solutions based on real-world evidence and changing needs.

Importantly, we don't just measure impact—we build capacity. Through training, documentation, and collaborative analysis sessions, we empower our public sector partners to enhance their own data analysis and impact measurement capabilities. This focus on capacity building ensures that the benefits of our work extend far beyond the scope of any single project.

To communicate our findings effectively, we develop user-friendly visualizations and dashboards that clearly convey impact to various stakeholders. We believe in transparent communication, honestly presenting both successes and areas for improvement. This openness fosters trust and enables data-driven decision-making at all levels.

Our approach to impact measurement goes beyond traditional methods. We leverage advanced analytics, including machine learning and predictive techniques, to uncover subtle yet significant program effects that might otherwise go unnoticed. This innovative approach provides a richer, more nuanced understanding of program effectiveness, driving smarter policy refinement and decision-making.

All of our work is underpinned by a commitment to the highest ethical standards. We pay particular attention to data privacy and security concerns, especially when dealing with sensitive information or vulnerable populations. Our goal is always to measure impact in a way that respects and protects the individuals and communities we serve.

Finally, our impact measurement work is guided and validated by a distinguished board of faculty affiliates—renowned data scientists and academics from leading global institutions. These experts volunteer their time to advise our staff, ensuring that our methodologies remain at the forefront of data science and maintain the highest standards of scientific rigor.

We not only demonstrate the effectiveness of our solutions but also build the capacity of our public sector partners to engage in ongoing, data-driven decision-making. In this way, we ensure that our work leads to lasting improvements in public service delivery, creating positive change that extends far beyond the scope of any individual project.