The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is dedicated to advancing understanding of the causes and consequences of U.S. poverty and inequality. It collects and analyzes information, continually updated from state and national data and special-purpose studies, on the evolving condition of low-income individuals and families and policies and programs to improve their well-being and increase self-sufficiency.
Having operated since 1966, IRP has built a cumulative program of interdisciplinary research, collaborating with and supporting a corps of some 200 research Affiliates comprising leading scholars in Economics, Sociology, Public Affairs, Public Health, Political Science, Law, Business, Social Work, and other disciplines, at UW–Madison and institutions across the nation.