Washington State Institute for Public Policy

What Washington State Institute for Public Policy does

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) is a nonpartisan public research institute established in 1983 by the Washington State Legislature and headquartered in Olympia, Washington. WSIPP operates as a team of 19 multidisciplinary researchers conducting applied policy research at the direction of the legislature or its Board of Directors across five core domains: education, criminal justice, children and adult services, health, and general government. The institute's core products include policy research reports, a proprietary Benefit-Cost Analysis framework that monetizes program impacts, a comprehensive publications archive spanning four decades, and current projects tracking for ongoing legislative-directed studies.

WSIPP's underlying methodological platform consists of a Benefit-Cost Analysis Model that translates program impacts into monetary terms to enable comparison of policy options, and a meta-analytic approach that systematically reviews research evidence on program effectiveness. A notable specialized tool is the Washington State Juvenile Court Assessment (WSJCA), a two-stage risk assessment developed in consultation with the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators. All research outputs are publicly available free of charge via the WSIPP website, with distribution through email newsletters and RSS feeds.

WSIPP's business model is entirely government-funded through legislative appropriations, with no commercial revenue streams. The institute is assigned projects by the legislature or Board of Directors, and conducts supplementary contracted work with state agencies including the Department of Corrections, Health Care Authority, and Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Fiscal and administrative services are provided by The Evergreen State College under a service arrangement. The primary customer is the Washington State Legislature, with secondary engagement from state agencies seeking objective program evaluation. WSIPP maintains no external investor ownership, no venture capital, and no equity structure, operating as a statutorily-defined state research entity.

Name

Washington State Institute for Public Policy

Legal name

Washington State Institute for Public Policy

Website

https://wsipp.wa.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) is a 19-person nonpartisan state research institute established in 1983 by the Washington State Legislature, conducting applied policy research and proprietary benefit-cost analyses in education, criminal justice, health, children and adult services, and general government at legislative direction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• Benefit-cost analysis
• Legislative research services
• Evidence-based policy
• Criminal justice research

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Legislative Appropriations: WSIPP is funded through appropriations from the Washington State Legislature. The institute is assigned projects at the directive of the legislature or its Board of Directors.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WSIPP conducts practical, nonpartisan applied policy research at the direction of the Washington State Legislature or its Board of Directors. It produces research reports and benefit-cost analyses across education, criminal justice, children and adult services, health, and general government. The institute's core output translates program impacts into monetary terms to inform evidence-based legislative decision making.

Product overview

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) is a nonpartisan public research organization that serves the Washington State legislature by conducting practical, nonpartisan research. Rather than a commercial product company, WSIPP offers a portfolio of research services including policy research reports, benefit-cost analyses, and a publications archive spanning from 1983 to present. The organization produces reports across multiple policy areas including education, criminal justice, children and adult services, health, and general government. Key offerings include the Benefit-Cost Analysis framework with technical documentation, the Publications Archive with searchable reports, Current Projects tracking ongoing legislative-directed studies, and specialized research programs such as the Cannabis Legalization Evaluation mandated through 2032.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Research Reports

Quantifiable outcome

• Benefit-cost analyses showing programs that reduce crime and save money
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Evergreen State CollegecoreOthersThe Evergreen State College provides fiscal and administrative services for WSIPP. This is a foundational operational relationship that enables WSIPP to function as a nonpartisan research institute.
• Washington State Health Care AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSIPP conducts reviews of effectiveness and benefit-cost outcomes of treatment programs under contract with the Washington State Health Care Authority, including infant, early childhood, and perinatal mental health programs.
• Washington State Office of the Insurance CommissionermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSIPP partnered with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to evaluate the monetary benefits and costs of selected obesity treatments, including bariatric surgery, FDA-approved weight-loss medications, and behavioral programs.
• AmeeliomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSIPP's Board of Directors approved a contract with Ameelio, a nonprofit that develops communication technology for incarcerated people, including virtual visitation platforms. WSIPP will use a meta-analytic approach to assess video visitation outcomes.
• Washington State Department of CorrectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSIPP conducts multiple evaluations related to DOC programs including risk assessment tools, prison misconduct, video visitation, postsecondary education pathways, and recidivism trends using DOC data.
• University Faculty and External ExpertsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSIPP collaborates with faculty in public and private universities and contracts with other experts to extend its capacity for studies on diverse topics.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RAND Corporation: RAND is a nonpartisan policy research organization that conducts evidence-based research on topics including criminal justice, education, health, and government effectiveness, including benefit-cost analyses. It is a direct peer to WSIPP in methodology and policy domain coverage, though operating at national and international scale.
• California Policy Lab: California Policy Lab is a state-level policy research partnership that partners with state agencies to use administrative data for evidence-based policy research in education, criminal justice, health, and labor. It is a direct functional peer to WSIPP in operating model and state-level mandate.
• MDRC: MDRC conducts rigorous social policy research and program evaluations in education, criminal justice, and welfare, with a strong emphasis on benefit-cost analysis and evidence-based program assessment. It is a direct peer in methodological approach and domain coverage.
• Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative: The Results First Initiative applies benefit-cost analysis and evidence-based program evaluation to state budget and policy decisions, using methodologies closely aligned with WSIPP's benefit-cost model. It is a direct peer in approach to state-level evidence-based policy research.

Broad incumbents

• Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica conducts rigorous policy research and program evaluation across health, education, and social programs, with methodologies including benefit-cost analysis. It is a comparable but larger, broader-incumbent peer with a fee-for-service commercial model.
• The Urban Institute: The Urban Institute is a larger, established policy research organization studying economic and social policy, including health, education, criminal justice, and welfare. It overlaps with WSIPP's domains but at national scale and with a broader portfolio of research.
• Council of State Governments: CSG is a nonpartisan, interstate organization serving all three branches of state government, providing policy research and analysis across the same domains WSIPP studies. It is a broader incumbent at the multi-state government-to-government level.
• National Bureau of Economic Research: NBER is a private, nonpartisan research organization that conducts economic research, including benefit-cost and policy analyses on topics overlapping with WSIPP's portfolio (education, health, criminal justice). It operates as a broader-academic incumbent at national scale.

Emerging players

• National Institute for Early Childhood Education Research: NIEER is a research institute focused on early childhood education policy research, including benefit-cost and effectiveness studies. It is a partial overlap peer with WSIPP's K-12 and education policy portfolio.
• Vera Institute of Justice: Vera Institute conducts research and pilots in criminal justice reform, including cost-benefit analysis of incarceration and reentry programs. It overlaps with WSIPP's criminal justice portfolio but is a more advocacy-oriented, emerging-themed peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WaPublicPolicy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-state-institute-for-public-policy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Washington State Institute for Public Policy