About Us

Our Mission

The Institute’s mission has three components:

1. Empirical Research – To collect and analyze economic, political, and demographic data and to use this data to conduct systematic, rigorous, and non-partisan evaluations of development policies in Wes t Africa. (2) To create and lead a network of West African researchers capable of contributing to international scientific debate about development at the highest level.
2. Training – To train a new generation of African researchers at the master’s level and to prepare them for advanced empirical work in government or international agencies as well as for top doctoral programs in economics and political science in the North America, Europe and elsewhere.
3. Policy Recommendations – To put cutting-edge research on development programs and public service provision to work by operating hand-in-hand with government and civil society institutions in the formulation and implementation of development policy in Benin and the rest of West Africa.

The IERPE was created on January 7, 2004 by Professor Leonard Wantchekon of New York University. Since its creation, the IERPE has established a reputation as a leading institution in Africa in terms of social science research as well as training in modern political economy and applied statistics.

Prof. Leonard Wantchekon, founding director of the IERPE

News

May 2008: Mission in Senegal within the framework of the coordination of Afrobarometer Round4 preparatory activities ...
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April 2008: The World Bank recruits in the first promotion of the program of Master MEPSA ...
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2008: IREEP enlarged his staff ...
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