Social Research and Demonstration Corporation

The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) is an independent Canadian non-profit and non-partisan organization specializing in applied social policy research, demonstration projects and program evaluation. It works with governments and public- and community-serving organizations to develop practical evidence about which policies and services improve social and economic outcomes. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand, SRDC functions as a research and implementation partner whose work connects policy design, field delivery, data collection and rigorous evaluation. SRDC was established in 1991 at the request of the Government of Canada’s Human Resources and Skills Development Canada agency. Its original purpose was to provide an arm’s-length organization capable of implementing long-term, multisite demonstration projects in a policy environment where programs often need to be tested under real-world conditions. The organization’s model combines research expertise with operational capacity: it can help design an intervention, recruit or support participating organizations and individuals, monitor implementation, and assess outcomes using experimental, quasi-experimental, qualitative or mixed-method approaches. Its subject areas have included education, literacy and essential-skills training, child development, community development, employment services, income security, financial capability, post-secondary access and population health. Much of this work is directed toward questions faced by Canadian federal, provincial and regional governments, although SRDC has also undertaken projects for municipal and non-profit clients. The organization emphasizes evidence that is relevant to Canadian institutions, communities and labor-market conditions rather than relying solely on findings imported from other countries. Among SRDC’s best-known projects is the Self-Sufficiency Project, an experimental study involving single parents receiving long-term welfare assistance. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to a program or comparison group, with members of the program group offered a time-limited earnings supplement if they moved from welfare into full-time employment within a specified period. The project became an influential example of using randomized evaluation to study welfare-to-work policy. An article based on the research later received the Frisch Medal, awarded for an applied article published in Econometrica. Other projects have addressed the transition from secondary school to post-secondary education, workplace literacy and essential skills, employment innovation, savings behavior among low-income learners, and the use of web technologies to help young people make career decisions. The organization has reported completing close to 150 projects and studies for public and non-profit clients. Its Canadian operations have included offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, and its work has extended across the country. SRDC’s institutional positioning is therefore centered on independent evidence, implementation learning and policy experimentation. Its outputs include evaluations, research reports, implementation guidance, knowledge-sharing activities and recommendations for improving services. The organization’s continuing relevance comes from its role in helping policy-makers and practitioners distinguish programs that appear promising from those that produce measurable improvements when delivered at scale.

SRDC was created in 1991 at the request of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the federal agency identified in the organization’s historical account. Its founding mandate was to establish an arm’s-length body able to conduct long-term, multisite demonstrations of social programs. This structure allowed research and implementation to be connected while maintaining distance from the departments responsible for developing or administering public policy. During its subsequent development, SRDC expanded from a government-requested demonstration organization into a broader Canadian social policy research institution. It undertook studies for federal, provincial and regional governments, as well as municipal and non-profit organizations. Its work covered education, literacy, employment, income security, child development, community building, financial capability and population health. The organization’s approach generally combined intervention design, field operations, monitoring and outcome evaluation rather than treating research as a purely desk-based activity. The Self-Sufficiency Project became one of the organization’s most prominent early examples. It used random assignment to compare a welfare-to-work earnings supplement with the experience of a comparison group among single parents receiving long-term welfare assistance. The program offered a subsidy for up to three years to eligible participants who began full-time work within twelve months of assignment. The resulting evidence contributed to international discussion about employment incentives and welfare reform. A related applied article published in Econometrica received the Frisch Medal, a distinction for an outstanding applied article published during the preceding five-year period. SRDC also developed a portfolio of projects focused on education and labor-market transitions. Life After High School in Ontario tested practical assistance for Grade 12 students applying to post-secondary education and financial aid. Upskill: Essential to Excel used random assignment to examine whether literacy and essential-skills training could improve workers’ skills, job performance and outcomes relevant to firms. Future to Discover investigated ways of supporting educational planning and post-secondary participation, while CareerMotion explored how web-based tools might improve young people’s career choices. The organization’s community and financial-capability work included the Community Employment Innovation Project, which examined approaches intended to encourage work while supporting communities, and learnSave, which focused on learning and saving among low-income participants. Its publication portfolio has also included research on intermittent work capacity in Ontario, willingness to pay for post-secondary education among under-represented groups and the financial literacy of low-income students. In 2000, SRDC received the Outstanding Research Contribution Award from the Policy Research Secretariat. By the period described in its reference material, it had completed close to 150 projects and studies. Its offices and activities have been distributed across Canada, including Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. A later initiative involved a mandate from the Government of British Columbia to implement a Centre for Employment Research, intended to support employment-service providers and employers, improve outcomes for unemployed job seekers, coordinate research and innovation, and disseminate effective practices. Overall, SRDC’s history reflects a continuing emphasis on producing credible evidence while also learning how social programs operate in practice.

• 2012

  British Columbia Centre for Employment Research mandate

  [1]Social Research and Demonstration Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The Government of British Columbia mandated SRDC to implement a Centre for Employment Research, described as a hub for employment research, innovation, training and the sharing of best practices.

• 2000

  Outstanding Research Contribution Award

  [1]Social Research and Demonstration Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  SRDC was presented with the Outstanding Research Contribution Award by the Policy Research Secretariat.

• 1991

  SRDC established

  [1]Social Research and Demonstration Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was established at the request of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada as an arm’s-length body for long-term, multisite social-policy demonstration projects.

• Expansion of national project portfolio

  [1]Social Research and Demonstration Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  SRDC’s work expanded across Canada and eventually included close to 150 projects and studies for government and non-profit clients.

An independent, arm’s-length Canadian evidence and implementation partner for governments and non-profit organizations, with particular strength in large-scale demonstrations, applied social research and rigorous evaluation.

• Income security and welfare-to-work evaluation

  Self-Sufficiency Project

  A randomized demonstration involving single parents receiving long-term welfare assistance. Participants were assigned to a program or comparison group, and eligible program-group members could receive a time-limited earnings supplement if they moved into full-time employment within twelve months. The project generated evidence on employment incentives and welfare exits and became one of SRDC’s most recognized evaluation initiatives.

• Education access and post-secondary transition

  Life After High School

  An Ontario government-funded pilot that provided selected Grade 12 students with practical assistance in applying for post-secondary education and financial aid. The project addressed the information and procedural barriers that can prevent students from under-represented backgrounds from continuing their education after secondary school.

• Workplace literacy and essential skills

  Upskill: Essential to Excel

  A project using random assignment to assess the effects of literacy and essential-skills training on workers’ skills, job performance and outcomes relevant to employers and firms. It illustrates SRDC’s practice of evaluating training interventions through both participant and workplace measures.

• Education planning and post-secondary participation

  Future to Discover

  An education-focused initiative examining ways to help young people plan for and pursue post-secondary education. The project formed part of SRDC’s broader work on educational aspirations, information barriers and transitions beyond high school.

• Digital career guidance

  CareerMotion

  A project exploring how web-based technologies could improve young people’s career choices. It examined the potential of online information and decision-support tools to make career exploration more accessible and useful.

• Employment and community development

  Community Employment Innovation Project

  A project focused on approaches for encouraging work while supporting communities. It represented SRDC’s interest in testing employment interventions that consider both individual labor-market outcomes and wider community conditions.

• Financial capability and savings

  learnSave

  A project examining the relationship between learning and saving among low-income participants. It addressed financial capability and the possibility that structured learning and saving supports could reinforce one another.

• Employment research and knowledge exchange · 2012

  Centre for Employment Research

  A British Columbia initiative intended to support the employment-services sector, employers and service providers. Its planned functions included research and development, coordination of employment research and innovation, training in effective practices, and dissemination of knowledge to improve outcomes for unemployed job seekers.

• Life After High School

  Ontario

  A pilot campaign and research project supporting Grade 12 students with post-secondary applications and financial-aid processes.

  Outcome. The cited material identifies the project as a provincially funded pilot but does not provide a complete outcome summary.

  Source
• CareerMotion

  Canada

  An initiative testing how web-based technologies could help young people make better-informed career choices.

  Outcome. The cited material does not specify a final outcome.

  Source
• Community Employment Innovation Project

  Canada

  A community employment initiative examining ways to encourage work while strengthening community support.

  Outcome. The cited material does not specify a final outcome.

  Source

1. 1Social Research and Demonstration Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Social Research and Demonstration Corporation official websitesrdc.org