Who we are

We aim at reducing poverty around the world through the design, the analysis and the dissemination of effective anti-poverty programs. We do this by combining original data collection and rigorous scientific research in order to offer reliable solutions to policy-makers, seeking to improve the lives of the poor.

LEAP was created by a group of faculty members at Bocconi University and affiliated researchers who specialize in applied research in development economics and in particular in the areas of agriculture, education, family, finance, health, labor markets, media and institutions. This initiative was also made possible by the generous support of the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation, a long-time supporter of Bocconi University and of far-reaching public interest initiatives.

Economists and statisticians have long developed impact evaluation techniques that allow to estimate the effect of particular policies and in recent years, research centers in the US have been created to apply these ideas to anti-poverty measures specifically. LEAP represents the first of its kind in Italy and one of few in Europe with the goal of collaborating with governments, non-governmental organizations and companies to design, analyze and disseminate effective anti-poverty programs through rigorous scientific research and original data collection.

LEAP assists its partners by identifying potential innovative interventions after a careful review of the existing data and literature to assess the state of the art. It designs interventions that are suitable for quantitative evaluation of their impact and cost‐effectiveness and assesses them using the most advanced methods of impact evaluation. LEAP then uses its findings to produce top quality research outputs for broad dissemination through several channels, including its website, workshops, media releases, and reports for its partners and meetings with policymakers.