The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently gave Karlan, author of the upcoming book, “More Than Good Intentions,” a $7.3 million grant to conduct research on microsavings. It’s part of the Gates Foundation’s $500 million pledge to make savings accounts accessible to poor people around the world and aid in building financial security for them.

Alex Kobishyn, project coordinator at IPA, says she expects the grant to produce at least 20 new research projects. “It’s really a knowledge frontier,” she says.