About Us
Our Mission
The GPL helps governments deliver better outcomes for their communities.
Who We Are
The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) is an applied research lab based in the School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Our Motivation
Millions of Americans are impacted every day by government social services that affect child and family well-being, safety and justice, and homelessness and housing. We support innovative government leaders who want to redesign their service systems – moving away from efforts that are ineffective or unjust, and moving toward impactful services that people need and want.
Our Approach
We help governments identify existing challenges, design possible solutions, test and demonstrate effectiveness, and scale promising practices. We provide this assistance with a team of highly trained professional fellows under the leadership of HKS professor and economist Jeffrey Liebman.
Our Impact
We have worked in 112 jurisdictions on 278 projects, redirecting $7 billion dollars to services and efforts focused on better supporting people and families. We have also trained 3,700+ public servants who are invested in continuing to grow the solutions their communities need.
From these projects, the GPL has distilled the most compelling insights to share with other governments around the country through publications, conference participation, and leadership training sessions.
Our Funders
The Government Performance Lab is grateful for support from Arnold Ventures, Ballmer Group, Baltimore Corps, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Meridian Partners, Casey Family Programs, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, and Results for America.