About Us

Bringing data-driven insights to the heart of public policy-making in Texas.

We believe the key to addressing Texas’ most pressing social and economic needs is to collaborate closely with those who best know them – the state and local government agencies committed to solving them.

Across Texas, rapid population growth is increasing demand for social services and programs at every level. With strains on public funding and resources, there is growing need for research to support and inform the policy-making process.

By providing scientific insight, and independent, timely evaluations of current social and economic programs and new initiatives in the state of Texas, the Texas Policy Lab increases the state government’s capacity to provide critical public services, effectively and efficiently steward public investment, and deliver successful outcomes for its residents.

Our work is supported by Arnold Ventures, First3Years, Samuels Family Foundation, The Powell Foundation, AVANCE, The Brown Foundation, Michael Dokupil, Randa Weiner, Texas Workforce Commission, and Harris County Juvenile Probation Department.

Our Purpose

The Texas Policy Lab was founded to provide meaningful, actionable public policy insights by leveraging cutting-edge scientific methods, informing policy-making at every level of government, fostering public discussion and debate around social policies and programs, and maximizing the impact of public resources to help shape a better future for all Texans.

Partnering with the Texas Policy Lab

  • 01/03

    Collaborate

    Collaboration is the cornerstone of our work at the Texas Policy Lab. We are deeply committed to building the productive, long-term relationships with our government partners that are the key to making a meaningful impact.

    Working together, we identify our partners’ most pressing concerns and design research protocols to give them a deeper understanding of their initiatives.

  • 02/03

    Evaluate

    The Texas Policy Lab provides the scientific expertise to design, implement and evaluate priority programs, services and policies to help refine current ones and pilot new ideas. We analyze partners’ data and continually assess program performance to ensure they efficiently and effectively produce the desired outcomes.

  • 03/03

    Refine

    Through long-term collaborations, we share insights derived from our research studies to continually refine and improve agencies’ programs. We give our agency partners actionable scientific insights to guide decisions on how and where to invest their resources. This helps ensure the desired outcomes are reached so that Texans can live healthier, happier and more productive lives.

A research center of Rice University’s School of Social Sciences, the Texas Policy Lab draws on the expertise of the university’s faculty and its own professional research staff in addressing today’s social issues.

Through the generous and visionary support of the Arnold Ventures, the Texas Policy Lab is able to provide its services free of charge to its government agency partners.

Learn more about the Texas Policy Lab’s projects, partners and impact here.