In 2024, the Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development (EPSD) Program at IPA announced new funding in collaboration with J-PAL for research on soft skills for entrepreneurship and workforce development. Through this funding, the EPSD Program aimed to support research in low—and middle-income countries that examines the relationship to soft skills and employment-related outcomes, prioritizing projects that respond to existing evidence gaps, incorporate a common framework for measuring soft skills and economic outcomes, and generate implementation-relevant evidence.

In fall 2025, EPSD sourced research projects through a competitive call for proposals as well as a curated portfolio of research projects, both of which are now closed.

The EPSD Program at IPA gratefully acknowledges the members of the external review committee who supported the selection process for the call for proposals: Diego Ubfal (World Bank), Robert Garlick (Duke University), Catherine Thomas (University of Michigan), Amolo Ng’weno (Livelihood Impact Fund), Tulimelila Shityuwete (Alkimia), Steven Glazerman (IPA), and Clara Delavallade (World Bank).

For the curated portfolio, EPSD also thanks Steven Glazerman, Chief Research and Methodology Officer, IPA; Karla Petersen, Director, Scaling, IPA; and Nathanael Goldberg, Senior Director, Sector Programs, IPA, for their internal guidance and review.

For more information, please contact epsd@poverty-action.org.