Random Update

Soft Skills Training for Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development

Photo Credit: © i_am_zews / Shutterstock.com

Soft skills training—specifically Personal Initiative (PI) Training—has shown promising effects on business outcomes for entrepreneurs. Yet, results vary by context and gender, and implementation could significantly shape effectiveness, so a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the intervention could help implementers deploy it more successfully. Moving from isolated successes to broad, lasting impact will require models that function within real-world constraints, such as limited or uncertain funding, staff turnover, and uneven digital access. Tackling these issues will demand more evidence and creative solutions—like AI-supported delivery, new engagement strategies to reduce attrition in asynchronous formats, and funding structures that allow capable local partners to retain skilled staff.

Cash and Small Business Groups for Ugandans and Refugees: Evidence from Kampala, Uganda

Photo Credit: © Nathan Ijjo Tibaku for the International Rescue Committee

Researchers: Travis Baseler, Thomas Ginn, Ibrahim Kasirye, Belinda Muya, and Andrew Zeitlin

For refugees, microentrepreneurship is a common form of employment in their host countries. But they often face barriers in growing their businesses, which can make integration more difficult. In Uganda—which has Africa’s largest refugee population—researchers measured whether cash business grants and business mentorships for refugee and host microentrepreneurs improved business performance and social cohesion. Grants significantly improved profits, social cohesion, and stock of business capital across gender and nationality. Meanwhile, the addition of group mentorship had positive effects for refugee men but negative effects compared to cash alone for women in higher-profit microenterprises. Although more research is needed, this program offers promising insights into how to deepen refugee social and economic inclusion.

Read the paper here, a full summary here, and watch a webinar presentation here.

Getting Governments to Use Evidence through Embedded Evidence Labs

Ever wonder why great research rarely translates into effective government policy? Juan Manuel Hernández-Agramonte, IPA’s Senior Director of Embedded Labs, shares insights on Embedded Evidence Labs and adoption and implementation of evidence in government systems. He says evidence faces a "Squid Game"-like journey through government institutions, with most promising ideas failing to reach implementation, let alone scale. Embedded Evidence Labs—government-based teams working from within—aim to address this challenge through co-designing research with policymakers, building strategic partnerships across agencies, addressing systemic barriers to evidence use, and seizing windows of opportunity for scale.