Public-Private Partnerships for

Innovation and Evaluation James A. Riccio

MDRC

OAS IASPN Technical Consolidation MeetingMexico City

August 10-11, 2011

• Social policy research firm: non-profit

• Headquartered in New York City

• Mission: Increase knowledge of “what works” to improve well-being of low-income people

• Leader in use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to test new social policies

• Involved in many public-private initiatives

What is MDRC?

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• Opportunity NYC—Family Rewards (CCT pilot)

• Federal Social Innovation Fund (SIF)

• UK Employment Retention and Advancement demonstration (UK ERA)

3 examples of public-private collaboration

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Example #1: CCT Program Opportunity NYC—Family Rewards

Planning partners:

• Local government: NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) (part of Mayor’s Office)

• Evaluation firm: MDRC

• Program operator: Seedco (private, non-profit)

• Planning grant for MDRC and Seedco to work with NYC government (CEO)

• Learning exchange with Mexico (Oportunidades)

• Design document prepared by MDRC

• Extensive consultations with other government agencies, experts, academics

Rockefeller Foundation funded the design phase, which included…

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• Private donors paid all program and evaluation costs (many funders)

• Funds channeled through non-profit called: The Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC

• MDRC and Seedco: Contract with Mayor’s Fund

• City agency (CEO) managed the contract

• Collaborative decision-making• 3-year program completed; 5-year evaluation ongoing

Full pilot launched in 2007

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Core collaborators:

•NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO)

•Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC

•MDRC

Example #2: Federal Social Innovation Fund

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What is the “Social Innovation Fund”?

• Federal initiative to scale up of evidence-based programs operated by non-profits

• Each federal $1 must be matched by $3 in non-federal funds (usually private funds)

• Where evidence is “promising” but not “strong,” initiative must be evaluated to build stronger evidence

• MDRC, CEO, and Mayor‘s Fund won 1 of 11 federal grants in national competition 8

MDRC-CEO SIF Projects: 5 in 8 cities1. CCT program (begins fall 2011)Family Rewards (revised version): NYC and Memphis

2. Career advancement programWorkAdvance: NYC, Cleveland, Youngstown, and Tulsa

3. Public housing employment programJobs-Plus: NYC and San Antonio

4. Tax-time savings incentives programSaveUSA: NYC, Newark, San Antonio, Tulsa

5. Education & work internship for disconnected young adults Project Rise: NYC, Kansas City (KS), Newark

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• Federal and private dollars go to Mayor’s Fund• CEO (government) oversees the project• CEO and MDRC collaborated on design of models

and selection of cities• CEO, MDRC, and local funding partners selected

local non-profit providers• MDRC is providing technical assistance to local

non-profits and is conducting the evaluations• CEO and MDRC are collaborating on fundraising

Structure of the collaboration

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Example #3: UK ERA (2003-2011)Employment Retention and Advancement project:

• Goals: (1) Test innovation to improve job stability and earnings (2) build UK capacity to do RCTs

• Initially conceived by MDRC and UK Treasury

• Rockefeller funded MDRC to engage in early exploratory conceptual work with Treasury

• Treasury subsequently funded full-scale design effort and evaluation (MDRC with UK partners)

• Close collaboration with government (Dept. for Work and Pensions) throughout project

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1. Broader range of ideas and expertise

2. Spreading the risk, so can try bolder and potentially more controversial projects

3. Broader range of stakeholders and potential supporters of an initiative (if it works)

4. Possible expansion of resource base to conduct more pilots (leveraging funding)

Conclusions: Some possible benefits of public-private collaboration

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