Approach

IGPA improves public policy discussion through nonpartisan, evidence-based research and public engagement in Illinois.

IGPA Leadership

3 Universities

IGPA connects the world-class research and expertise of the University of Illinois System to policy conversations in Illinois and beyond.

25+ Partnerships

IGPA serves as a catalyst and connector across the university system by partnering with colleges, departments, institutes, and centers on projects, events, and publications.

25 Publications

In 2020 alone, IGPA published dozens of research reports, policy briefs, and other materials to undergird conversations on public health, fiscal recovery, community resilience, and more.

PROCESS

“The University of Illinois System is the people’s university, and IGPA is the people’s think tank.”

01. Research

The University of Illinois System is the state’s trusted source for world-class research and expertise. IGPA ensures that the work system scholars do matters in the real world, from the statehouse to media and beyond.

02. Collaborate

IGPA has a long history of working with policymakers to pinpoint issues in need of attention, answer complex questions in need of greater research, and develop objective, data-driven policy that serves the people of Illinois. IGPA’s faculty working groups ensure that policy questions get in-depth, interdisciplinary consideration.

03. Return Value

The people of Illinois have made an incredible investment in the University of Illinois System, and IGPA helps return that value by supporting necessary, well-informed policymaking that improves their lives.

      01.
      Join a Working Group

      Our working groups are open to scholars across the University of Illinois System. They build interdepartmental, interdisciplinary relationships that enhance your work and strengthen its potential impact.

      02.
      Access Expertise on Tap

      The University of Illinois System is a trusted source for top-quality research and expertise drawn from all three universities. IGPA matches this expertise directly to the policy needs of our state.

      03.
      Request an Interview

      IGPA scholars have been cited in the past year in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, Route Fifty, NPR’s “Morning Edition,” and the Christian Science Monitor, among many others.

      04.
      Register for Events

      Whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid, IGPA’s events are a core component of our commitment to public engagement that sparks smart policy.

      05.
      Learn More About IGPA's Programs

      IGPA works in collaboration with partners to provide regular leadership training, learning opportunities, and other programming.

Get In Touch
We put people in conversation with lawmakers to connect the system’s experts with our state’s needs, and we support policymakers pursuing objective, research-driven solutions. I came out of [working with IGPA] feeling so proud and so supported... I learned about how to communicate with policymakers, I learned how to communicate my ideas in a new way, and I felt that I learned a lot from the process. It was just awesome on every front for me.<br /> <br /> -UIS Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Meghan A. Kessler, who authored an IGPA Policy Spotlight NEW Leadership™ Illinois taught me the importance of understanding all sides of a particular public policy. I learned that dedicated women legislators on both sides of the aisle want to do what is best to resolve a particular issue even if they have differing opinions on how to do so. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to learn from real women, on a personal level, about the challenges they face in their daily lives and how they have overcome them. I felt supported, included and encouraged to occupy spaces that I may have otherwise felt were not for people like me, and I walked away with a refreshed sense of confidence to take on whatever life throws at me.

We put people in conversation with lawmakers to connect the system’s experts with our state’s needs, and we support policymakers pursuing objective, research-driven solutions.

I came out of [working with IGPA] feeling so proud and so supported... I learned about how to communicate with policymakers, I learned how to communicate my ideas in a new way, and I felt that I learned a lot from the process. It was just awesome on every front for me.

-UIS Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Meghan A. Kessler, who authored an IGPA Policy Spotlight

NEW Leadership™ Illinois taught me the importance of understanding all sides of a particular public policy. I learned that dedicated women legislators on both sides of the aisle want to do what is best to resolve a particular issue even if they have differing opinions on how to do so. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to learn from real women, on a personal level, about the challenges they face in their daily lives and how they have overcome them. I felt supported, included and encouraged to occupy spaces that I may have otherwise felt were not for people like me, and I walked away with a refreshed sense of confidence to take on whatever life throws at me.

Related Links

External links to additional resources related to IGPA

Budgeting for Results

Curt Clemons-Mosby, the director of Budgeting for Results in the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, is a member of IGPA’s Fiscal and Economic Policy Working Group. The University of Illinois System and Institute of Government and Public Affairs have an intergovernmental agreement with the Budgeting for Results Commission to share University of Illinois research tools.

Partnerships for Evidence-based Public Policy

The Center for Social & Behavioral Science and Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) are excited to announce the new Partnerships for Evidence-based Public Policy (PEPP) fellowship program. This program will create a bridge between research experts and the public by enabling mid-career faculty across the Illinois System to conduct year-long policy research projects with Illinois government partners. PEPP fellows will form a cohort, participating in monthly trainings on topics such as the policy research lifecycle and policy communication, as well as networking and collaborative work.

Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability

IGPA partners with the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) to convene the New Members Conference. U of I System scholars and COGFA staff brief newly elected or appointed members of the Illinois General Assembly on key policy topics at the biannual event.