Research Papers on Poverty Alleviation in the Philippines and Beyond

Our world-class research team is a leading global voice on the measurement and evaluation of ultra-poverty intervention.

Commitment to Effectiveness Means Dedication to Data

We are committed to the rigorous measurement of our programs. Tracking everything that happens on the ground, our objective is to achieve the greatest impact for the least cost, to bring lasting change to the ultra-poor in the Philippines and beyond.

At ICM, we ask ourselves the hard questions by examining the countable, measurable impact of our work. A combination of pre-post surveys, randomized controlled trials, operational data, and qualitative surveys compound to inform a cycle of continuous innovation and improvement.

“ICM’s dedication to evidence and transparency means their work is not just helping the direct recipients in their programs, but ultra-poor people in other parts of the Philippines, other parts of Asia, and other parts of the world.”

Dean Karlan
Professor of Economics and Finance, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and Co-Founder of Innovations for Poverty Action

“Few things cooler than visiting with micro faith driven entrepreneurs among the ultra-poor in Cebu. ICM’s commitment to working with the ultra-poor and doing so at scale is an amazing encouragement.”

Henry Kaestner
Sovereign’s Capital & Faith Driven Investor Founder

“Among the Christian development charities, ICM stands out for its unparalleled dedication to rigorous evidence and openness regarding its outcomes. We are pleased to designate ICM as the top ‘Christian standout’ charity tackling poverty today. Ultimately, ICM is an outstanding option for donors seeking confidence that their donations have a meaningful impact on those in extreme poverty. If I could only donate in 2024 to one Christian anti-poverty charity, ICM would be it.”

JD Bauman
Director, Effective Altruism for Christians

“I love the way everything is structured so well at ICM. And so now, to start to export that to other parts of the world and hopefully embed into those local communities also, makes me feel I want to do more, because I feel I’m able to touch multiple parts of the world.”

Jim Schumacher
Retired Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

In partnership with the Global Innovation Fund

Transform Innovation Lab

In partnership with the Global Innovation Fund, ICM is designing and undertaking an ambitious five-year research project to innovate, scale, and rigorously test new approaches to poverty alleviation. In this way, International Care Ministries can better understand how to provide better and more consistent and scalable outcomes for the ultra-poor communities we serve.

See our research

Read our research about what life is like on less than 50 cents per day.

Our Research

Research

Financial Incentives for Transform Attendance (Working Paper)

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of small financial incentives (USD 2 per participant) on attendance in International Care Ministries’ Transform program.

Research

Aspirational Documentary Films Study (Working Paper)

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of incorporating aspirational documentary-style success stories into International Care Ministries’ Transform program.

Research

Small Cash Transfers and Alumni Support Study (Working Paper)

The development sector has utilized various approaches to address poverty, including microfinance and conditional and unconditional cash transfers (United Nations, 2009), yet these interventions often lack comprehensive scope.

Research

Transform Duration Study: Key Findings (Working Paper)

Poverty remains one of the most pressing global challenges, affecting 10% of the world’s population (World Bank, 2018).

Research

Accumulating Human Capital: The Role of Parents

Results from a Randomized Evaluation of ICM’s Family Academy educational program show positive effects on children’s Math and Phonics for a relatively low-cost.

Research

Developing Spiritual Impact Metrics

A thorough, iterative process was undertaken by ICM to develop core impact metrics for spiritual formation

Research

Navigating fear and care: The lived experiences of community-based health actors in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic

The activities of community-based health actors are widely recognized as critical to pandemic response; yet, there exists a lack of clarity concerning who is included in this ecosystem of actors and how these actors experience the complexity of delivering community-level care in the context of a public health emergency.

Research

Dramatic increases in knowledge, attitudes and practices of COVID-19 observed among low-income households in the Philippines: A repeated cross-sectional study in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted populations globally, and knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) surrounding the virus have necessarily evolved.

Research

Exploring the Role of Social Networks in Facilitating Health Service Access Among Low-Income Women in the Philippines: A Qualitative Study

Despite efforts to implement universal health care coverage (UHC) in the Philippines, income poor households continue to face barriers to health care access and use.

Join Our Team. Are you a researcher, PhD candidate, or analyst? We are looking for talented, dedicated people to join our team full-time or for academic research projects. And we are open-source; if you think our research could help you, get in touch.

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