FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does the Laboratories of Democracy team provide?
We provide nonprofits, public officials and other stakeholders with help in designing, implementing, and analyzing randomized experiments to identify the policies and practices that are most effective at solving public problems.
Often, these experiments are conducted as pilot tests for policies or procedures already under consideration. Our research offers valuable feedback about the effectiveness of your policy before implementation on a larger scale.
Often, these experiments are conducted as pilot tests for policies or procedures already under consideration. Our research offers valuable feedback about the effectiveness of your policy before implementation on a larger scale.
What is expected of me as a collaborator?
First, apply to collaborate so we can set up a time to talk. When you fill out the application, please let us know whether there is a specific policy or procedure that you would like to evaluate or a problem you want to solve. We can also talk to you about the projects we are doing.
Second, it is important to have some flexibility in how the policy gets implemented during the evaluation stage. For example, if you are interested in learning whether a new practice enhances your ability to collect property taxes, we would need to be able to try out the new practice on some homeowners, but not others, during the pilot study.
Third, you and your team will need the resources to implement the interventions you are considering.
Second, it is important to have some flexibility in how the policy gets implemented during the evaluation stage. For example, if you are interested in learning whether a new practice enhances your ability to collect property taxes, we would need to be able to try out the new practice on some homeowners, but not others, during the pilot study.
Third, you and your team will need the resources to implement the interventions you are considering.
Do you charge fees for your services?
We do not charge any fees for our service (other than reasonable travel costs). Instead, we only require your permission to publish any results from evaluation experiments, so that others can learn from your experience. We can work to the make the project anonymous so that it is not directly attributable to your organization or city, but disseminating lessons is a critical part of our mission.
Do I need to suggest a project?
We can work with you on the details of a planned policy intervention, but it helps us when our partners have a particularly program they would like to evaluate or have identified a problem they want to tackle and possible interventions they are considering.
As part of our commitment to spread knowledge about policy effectiveness, we may be able to offer guidance about policy solutions that have been successful in other communities facing similar problems.
As part of our commitment to spread knowledge about policy effectiveness, we may be able to offer guidance about policy solutions that have been successful in other communities facing similar problems.
What types of project does Laboratories of Democracy work on?
We work with nonprofits and local, state, and national governments on a range of projects that are designed to improve our communities. While there is a great deal of diversity in the types of projects that we can evaluate, there are three common elements to the projects that we take on:
- They involve a clear policy intervention — that is, a new policy or set of procedures to address some public sector problem.
- The policy intervention is intended to influence specific outcomes.
- We can measure this outcome.
How do I find out if my project is something that the Laboratories of Democracy team can help me evaluate?
When you fill out the form to apply to collaborate, provide additional information about your project in the box.