About Us

As of the end of 2024, more than 122 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced, including 83.4 million internally displaced persons. Of these, approximately 73.5 million were displaced by conflict and violence, and close to 10 million by disasters linked to climate hazards. Projections suggest that climate stress could drive an additional 130 million people into poverty by 2030. At the same time, advances in digital technologies and artificial intelligence are reshaping governance, markets, and social systems, creating both new opportunities and new risks.

The Penn Development Research Initiative (PDRI) – DevLab@Penn responds to these global challenges by generating rigorous, interdisciplinary, and policy-relevant research. By bringing together scholars from across Penn and collaborating with international partners, PDRI-DevLab integrates field-based research, advanced data science, and applied policy engagement to inform decision-making in development practice.

Bringing together an interdisciplinary community of researchers and practitioners to address urgent global challenges

OUR APPROACH

Reserach Focus Our research spans migration and displacement, climate and land governance, and AI for development. Across these themes, we combine field experiments, quasi-experimental designs, and advanced data science with practitioner partnerships to generate evidence that is rigorous, policy-relevant, and globally useful. Learn More Evidence Dissemination We convene seminars, workshops, and networks to test ideas, share results, and build collaborations. These forums connect scholars, policymakers, and practitioners, strengthening methods, sharpening questions, and accelerating the movement of evidence into practice Learn More Capacity Building We invest in the next generation of scholars by embedding students and fellows directly into live projects. Our training programs cover undergraduate and master’s fellows, predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and visiting fellows from partner institutions in the Global South. Learn More Evidence Hub We share results through peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, newsletters, and open data or tools where possible. These outputs translate complex findings into accessible insights for governments, donors, and NGOs, ensuring research informs debate, improves programs, and advances knowledge across contexts. Learn More Scholars Network Our community links faculty, doctoral affiliates, and research staff across seven Penn schools with partners worldwide. This interdisciplinary network supports collaboration, proposal development, joint supervision, and cross-school teams that bring diverse methods and field experience to complex development questions. Learn More Global Projects We design and implement multi-country studies with governments, multilaterals, and NGOs. Projects range from randomized trials to geospatial and machine-learning analytics, producing decision tools, evaluations, and briefs that inform programming on the ground. Explore the portfolio to see scope, methods, and impact. Learn More

Our Global Footprint

 

Our Community

 

WORK WITH US

PDRI-DevLab’s affiliates hail from seven Penn schools: School of Arts and Sciences, Wharton Business School, Weitzman School of Design, School of Social Policy and Practice, Graduate School of Education, School of Medicine, and Nursing School. As such, our faculty and graduate students cover a wide range of expertise, both substantively and methodologically. PDRI-DevLab is well-positioned to manage all aspects of research, from grant writing, research design, data collection, and data analysis to grant management and writing. If you are interested in collaborating with us, please contact us to learn more.

SUPPORT FOR PDRI-DEVLAB

The work of PDRI-DevLab is made possible by the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts (SAS) and Sciences and the UPenn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE).

CONTACT US

Interested in learning more about PDRI-DevLab?
Email us here: pdri-devlab@sas.upenn.edu
Follow us on Twitter: @pdri_devlab

University of Pennsylvania
Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics
133 S. 36th Street, 4th floor
Philadelphia PA, 19104

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