IPA’s Human Trafficking Research Initiative (HTRI), Randomized controlled trials (RCTs)/rigorous impact evaluations, Request for Proposals, Due: Jan 10, 2025

[opencode4good]

IPA’s Human Trafficking Research Initiative (HTRI) – Request for Expressions of Interest

• Date Posted: Nov 21, 2024
• Deadline: Jan 10, 2025, 11:59 PM US Pacific Time
• Funding Institution(s): Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
• Brief Description: The Human Trafficking Research Initiative (HTRI) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) for rigorous impact evaluations, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental designs, to assess the effectiveness of counter-trafficking programs. Funded by the U.S. Department of State's TIP Office, HTRI focuses on evaluating interventions under the Prosecution pillar of the 4P’s framework (Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership), encompassing justice system processes such as identification, referrals, investigations, prosecutions, adjudication, and legal aid.
  • Successful EOIs will address priority research questions from HTRI’s Research and Learning Agenda (RLA) or propose relevant questions related to the prosecution of trafficking cases. Proposals may include funding for pilot studies, full RCTs, quasi-experimental research, or new arms of existing RCTs.
• Link: https://poverty-action.org/htri-call-for-proposals

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Assessment of Strategic Fit with NumFOCUS Projects

The Human Trafficking Research Initiative (HTRI) offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the evidence base on counter-trafficking interventions. While the focus on human trafficking and justice system processes is not directly aligned with NumFOCUS's primary mission, there are areas where NumFOCUS-supported tools and expertise in data analysis and quantitative research could provide value.

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Relevance to NumFOCUS Mission

1. Data-Driven Research and Evidence Generation

• Alignment:
  • NumFOCUS-sponsored tools like pandas, statsmodels, and scikit-learn can support the quantitative research methods required by HTRI, such as RCTs and quasi-experimental designs (e.g., difference-in-difference, regression discontinuity).
  • These tools are well-suited for analyzing large datasets and creating reproducible workflows, which are critical for generating robust evidence in counter-trafficking programs.

2. Open Science and Reproducibility

• Alignment:
  • The HTRI’s emphasis on rigorous research methods aligns with NumFOCUS's mission to promote open-source scientific tools that enhance reproducibility and transparency in research.
  • By leveraging NumFOCUS tools, researchers could build transparent, reproducible pipelines for evaluating interventions in trafficking-related justice systems.

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Opportunities for Strategic Alignment

1. Enhancing Quantitative Research Capacity

• Potential Contribution:
  • NumFOCUS tools could be used to:
    • Process and analyze complex datasets related to trafficking case investigations or judicial outcomes.
    • Create reproducible statistical models to assess the effectiveness of prosecution-related interventions.
  • Example Use Cases:
    • Using scikit-learn for predictive modeling in identifying patterns in trafficking cases.
    • Employing statsmodels for robust econometric analysis of intervention impacts.

2. Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Potential Contribution:
  • NumFOCUS could partner with organizations specializing in trafficking research to provide the technical backbone for data analysis and evaluation.
  • Example:
    • Collaborating with legal aid organizations or NGOs to analyze prosecution outcomes using NumFOCUS-supported tools.

3. Scaling Impact

• Potential Contribution:
  • Develop open-source workflows or tools that can be shared with researchers and policymakers working in trafficking prevention and justice, aligning with the HTRI's goal of strengthening the global evidence base.

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Challenges

1. Narrow Domain Focus

• Limitation:
  • The primary focus on trafficking prosecution and justice system processes may not directly align with the mission of most NumFOCUS-supported projects.
• Mitigation:
  • NumFOCUS would need to collaborate with domain-specific organizations to contextualize its contributions.

2. Requirement for Applied Expertise

• Limitation:
  • The HTRI’s focus on applied impact evaluations requires expertise in counter-trafficking interventions and justice system dynamics, which are outside NumFOCUS's typical focus areas.
• Mitigation:
  • Partnering with trafficking-focused organizations or researchers with domain expertise could help bridge this gap.

3. Focus on Specific Research Methods

• Limitation:
  • The call emphasizes quantitative methods and quasi-experimental designs, which require tailored applications of NumFOCUS tools to address domain-specific questions.
• Mitigation:
  • Proposals could highlight the adaptability of NumFOCUS-supported tools for these methodologies.

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Recommendations

1. Collaborate with Trafficking Research Organizations

• Partner with domain experts (e.g., NGOs, legal research institutes) to showcase how NumFOCUS tools can support robust data analysis for counter-trafficking interventions.

2. Develop a Proposal for Data Analysis Support

• Focus on providing computational tools or frameworks to analyze and evaluate trafficking prosecution programs using reproducible, open-source workflows.

3. Showcase Use Cases of NumFOCUS Tools

• Highlight the adaptability of tools like pandas and statsmodels in building and analyzing datasets related to trafficking, including judicial case data, intervention outcomes, and policy impacts.

4. Leverage Open Science Advocacy

• Emphasize how NumFOCUS can advance open science in counter-trafficking research, enabling global collaboration and evidence sharing.

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Conclusion

While the Human Trafficking Research Initiative does not directly align with NumFOCUS’s primary mission, it offers an opportunity to demonstrate the applicability of NumFOCUS-supported tools in addressing critical global challenges. By partnering with trafficking-focused organizations and emphasizing NumFOCUS’s expertise in reproducible, data-driven research, there is potential to contribute meaningfully to this initiative. A collaborative approach would be essential to ensure strategic fit and maximize impact.