Mathematica Policy Research

Mathematica Policy Research
Name	Mathematica Policy Research
Formation	1969
Type	Nonprofit research organization
Headquarters	Princeton, New Jersey
Leader title	President and CEO
Leader name	Caroline M. Hoxby
Services	Policy research, program evaluation, data analytics

Mathematica Policy Research is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1969 that conducts empirical studies and program evaluations for public policy in the United States and internationally. The organization provides technical assistance, randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, statistical modeling, and administrative data linkage to federal agencies, state governments, foundations, and international institutions. Its work has informed policy decisions across health, social welfare, labor, and education sectors through partnerships with agencies and academic institutions.

History

Mathematica Policy Research originated as an outgrowth of social science capacity building in the late 1960s alongside institutions such as National Bureau of Economic Research, Rand Corporation, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and Carnegie Mellon University. Early projects paralleled program evaluation efforts tied to legislation including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and initiatives connected to the War on Poverty. Over subsequent decades the organization expanded evaluation portfolios akin to those undertaken by Abt Associates, Westat, RTI International, and Pew Charitable Trusts, adopting methodologies championed by scholars at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, and Princeton University. In the 1990s and 2000s Mathematica scaled randomized trials similar to those conducted by researchers at Yale University, University of Michigan, and Columbia University and deepened international work parallel to evaluations by World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and USAID. Recent decades saw integration of big data practices reminiscent of projects at Google, Microsoft Research, and IBM Research to enhance administrative data use and linkage across agencies such as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Education (United States), Department of Health and Human Services, and Social Security Administration.

Organization and Leadership

The organization’s governance mirrors nonprofit research centers like RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, and New America Foundation, with a board composed of leaders from academia, government, and philanthropy. Executive leadership historically bridges academic ties to institutions such as Princeton University, Yale University, Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia Business School, and London School of Economics. Senior research staff include principal investigators and methodologists with prior affiliations to National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, and major foundations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Ford Foundation. Operational units reflect those of peer organizations such as Abt Associates and Westat with divisions for health policy, labor and welfare, education, quantitative methods, and international development.

Research Areas and Methods

Mathematica’s substantive areas align with portfolios common to Kaiser Family Foundation, Pew Research Center, and Commonwealth Fund and include evaluations in health policy, social programs, labor markets, education interventions, and early childhood development. Methodologically, the organization employs randomized controlled trials like those promoted by Campbell Collaboration and What Works Clearinghouse, quasi-experimental techniques used by researchers at National Bureau of Economic Research, cohort studies similar to work from Framingham Heart Study, mixed-methods designs exemplified by Urban Institute reports, and advanced econometric modeling rooted in traditions from University of Chicago and MIT. Mathematica also implements administrative data linkage and privacy-preserving protocols informed by standards at Office of Management and Budget, HIPAA, and practices used by Census Bureau and Internal Revenue Service for secure data enclaves.

Major Projects and Evaluations

The organization has led evaluations comparable in scale to major studies by Abt Associates and Westat, including randomized trials of welfare-to-work programs tied to reforms similar to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, large-scale education interventions related to initiatives like No Child Left Behind Act and Every Student Succeeds Act, and health services research linked to Affordable Care Act implementation analyses. Internationally, projects parallel evaluations supported by World Bank and DFID assessing conditional cash transfers comparable to Progresa/Oportunidades, and labor market programs similar to those evaluated by International Labour Organization and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Mathematica has provided technical support for federal demonstrations and multisite trials administered by agencies such as Department of Labor (United States), Health Resources and Services Administration, and Administration for Children and Families.

Publications and Impact

Findings produced by Mathematica staff are disseminated through technical reports, policy briefs, peer-reviewed journals, and briefs cited alongside scholarship from American Economic Association publications, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Health Affairs, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and The Lancet for global health topics. The organization’s reports have informed rulemaking at agencies like Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and shaped program design adopted by state agencies and philanthropic actors including MacArthur Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Mathematica’s work is frequently cited in Congressional hearings, agency white papers, and academic syntheses produced by institutions like Brookings Institution and Harvard Kennedy School.

Partnerships and Funding

Mathematica partners with federal agencies, state governments, foundations, international organizations, and universities similar to partnerships cultivated by RAND Corporation and Urban Institute. Funders and clients have included Department of Education (United States), Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, World Bank, and bilateral donors such as USAID and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Collaborative research often involves academic co-investigators from Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, and Princeton University.

Category:Research institutes in the United States Category:Public policy research