The objective of this grant is to address the evidence GAP on cost-effective child and forced labor programs and empower decision makers in central america to apply this evidence in their programs

The Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs awarded Innovations For Poverty Action a $2 million cooperative agreement under the International Labor Programs (CFDA 17.401) federal grant program. The objective is to address evidence gaps on cost-effective child and forced labor programs in Central America by conducting randomized controlled trials and pilots with local partners in Guatemala.

Specifically, Innovations For Poverty Action will conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial in Guatemala over three years to determine the impact of educational interventions on child labor outcomes. Concurrently, they will lay the groundwork for future evaluations by developing partnerships and implementing pilot studies with policymakers in Guatemala or Honduras. The pilots aim to identify research opportunities aligned with policy needs and test designs for full-scale randomized controlled trials. Findings are intended to inform anti-child labor policymaking in Central America through co-created evidence and an enabling environment for evidence-based decision making. The three-year award period runs from December 2022 through December 2025.

Activities performed innovations for poverty action (IPA), a global leader in implementing randomized trials for policy impact, will do so by 1) conducting a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) in guatemala to determine the impact of a series of educational interventions on child labor outcomes, and 2) laying the groundwork for future demand-driven, rigorous evaluations by building meaningful partnerships and implementing pilot studies with policymakers and practitioners in guatemala, honduras, or another central american country. The RCT will involve CO-creating evidence with partners from the research design through dissemination stages. The evaluation will proceed in five stages over three years: stage 1) design and pilot; stage 2) baseline survey; stage 3) implementation, midline survey, and monitoring; stage 4) endline survey; and stage 5) analysis, report preparation, and dissemination. The pilots will include partnership development and exploratory research leading to the design of full-scale, policy-relevant evaluations. The pilots will proceed in three stages over two years: stage 1) partner identification and capacity building; stage 2) identifying demand-driven research opportunities and researcher matchmaking, and stage 3) pilot studies test and refine the design of full scale rcts. Deliverables 1. IPA partners in guatemala will have relevant, rigorous evidence to inform their anti-child labor policymaking by CO-creating the needed evidence with IPA. 2. IPA will initiate an enabling environment for evidence-based policymaking through developing multiple pilot studies with local partners. This effort will create the conditions necessary for future full-scale, policy relevant impact evaluations to inform child and forced labor programs and policies in central america. Intended beneficiary IPA will initiate an enabling environment for evidence-based policymaking through developing multiple pilot studies with local partners. This effort will create the conditions necessary for future full-scale, policy relevant impact evaluations to inform child and forced labor programs and policies in central america. Subrecipient activities NA