Scaling effective solutions for economic opportunity: Insights from Results for America’s Economic Mobility Catalog

J-PAL North America strives to build strong partnerships with peer organizations who use evidence to inform policy. One such partner, Results for America (RFA), helps government leaders harness the power of evidence and data to fund solutions that accelerate economic mobility and improve lives through a wide suite of resources, including our shared LEVER engagement and RFA’s Economic Mobility Catalog.

The Economic Mobility Catalog is a free and accessible tool showcasing over fifty evidence-backed pathways to economic mobility by synthesizing research, identifying best practices, and aggregating additional resources. In a conversation with J-PAL North America, Cole Ware (Manager of the Economic Mobility Catalog) and Ross Tilchin (Director of the Economic Mobility Catalog) discussed the value of the Catalog and RFA’s technical assistance opportunities for state and local governments.
 

What is the Economic Mobility Catalog and what does it aim to achieve?

The Economic Mobility Catalog is a resource that aids government leaders in identifying and implementing evidence-based anti-poverty policies by providing evidence summaries, showcasing implementation best practices, and highlighting actionable insights. It includes nearly sixty case studies of programs on topics such as education, health, public health, and housing. Our goal is to help leaders—in government, philanthropy, and the broader social sector—scale effective strategies to ensure more people can benefit from proven approaches. We connect these leaders to the Catalog through conferences, virtual workshops, and tailored engagements with specific jurisdictions.
 

How do you decide what research to include and exclude in the Catalog? 

Because the Catalog aims to spread and scale evidence-based practices, we highlight proven solutions to improving economic mobility. We therefore include programs backed by rigorous evidence, with impacts demonstrated through high-quality experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations. 

The tool ranks programs based on the strength of this evidence, enabling users to analyze which solutions best address their specific challenges and priorities. To ensure broad applicability, the Catalog showcases solutions implemented in a wide array of contexts, including rural, urban, and suburban settings.
 

Can you tell us about your research partnerships, such as with J-PAL North America, and how those relationships inform the Catalog?

We do not conduct program evaluations in-house, so we have built a network of partnerships to help us showcase the wide array of evidence-based approaches that are out there. Our partnership with J-PAL North America has been highly beneficial in many aspects, particularly in enhancing our ability to better track programs that have demonstrated positive results. The organization’s strong reputation generates confidence in the quality of the evaluations. By working together, we can both reach wider audiences and ensure these studies can reach more decision makers. 
 

You mentioned the case studies as a component of the Economic Mobility Catalog. Could you elaborate on these success stories and the lessons emerging across the different examples?

Case studies are a particularly compelling way to highlight success stories from local governments that have implemented evidence-based strategies. One lesson that emerges across different examples is the role that evaluation plays in implementing and maintaining an effective program. Many case studies speak to the importance of leveraging programmatic data to sustain public support and attract additional investment. 

We’ve also seen that active community engagement and community co-creation can enhance program quality. That said, we’ve learned that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to implementation; solutions need to be tailored to their specific circumstances, and pathways to scale will occur differently depending on the context.
 

Building on your point on scaling effective programs, what should agencies consider when thinking about scale? We know it can be very difficult to maintain fidelity and effectiveness at scale—do you have any recommendations?

Scaling successful programs can be quite challenging, especially when trying to maintain the fidelity of the intervention. With the Catalog, users can identify key design elements that are necessary to maintaining program effectiveness. The tool also encourages ongoing evaluation and provides suggested key performance indicators that can help leaders better understand how programs are performing. We believe that these tools can facilitate the scaling process and help leaders and communities to implement related programs. 

Regarding your question on maintaining program effectiveness at scale, we have noticed that program administration can become much more complex as a program grows. Some successful practices to bolster success include investing in administrative functions, strong project management, and professional development for staff.
 

For state and local governments who use this resource and are interested in leveraging rigorous evidence to make changes to their local policy, what further support or resources can RFA offer?

The Economic Mobility Catalog is intended as an entry point for state and local governments. Once audiences identify a solution to address a pressing issue in their community, RFA offers a range of further technical assistance services. For example, our Solutions Accelerator team offers short-term “Solutions Sprints” that provide local leaders with six to twelve weeks of intensive, content-specific workshops to accelerate the implementation of evidence-based strategies. We also offer longer-term technical assistance programs for education and workforce agencies. Our organization’s “Shifting Dollars” technical assistance can help governments better allocate funding to strategies proven to work. We are also working on creating additional tools for governments nearer the implementation phases, including the Catalog’s launch of support resources in 2025.
 

Visit the RFA website to learn more about the Economic Mobility Catalog, along with RFA training services and implementation support.