The Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab) will host their international conference at the Blavatnik School of Government: Comparing Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) and outcomes-based approaches across different countries and policy sectors - learning from academics and practitioners.

In 2018 Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are functioning in more countries and in more policy sectors than ever before. Since the first SIB was launched in the UK in 2010, over 108 SIBs have been developed across the globe, including in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and Israel. Worldwide SIB approaches are being used to tackle a growing range of social issues from children’s social care and youth unemployment, to homelessness, refugee integration, social isolation and health.

Comparing SIBs and other outcomes-based approaches across the world can help foster a deeper understanding of this innovative model of public service provision. As policy makers are becoming increasingly interested in these approaches, let’s take stock of the emerging evidence around their impact and consider lessons that can be learned from other countries. 

About the conference

This conference will bring together academic and practitioner voices from different countries and disciplines for an in-depth exploration of whether and how SIBs and other outcomes-based approaches work. Some of the questions that will be addressed include: how do SIBs compare to alternative funding mechanisms? How do SIBs operate in different countries? How has the concept and development of SIBs changed over time?

Over the two days, there will be a series of presentations of the latest academic research on SIBs and other outcomes-based approaches, as well as panel discussions with academics, policy-makers and SIB practitioners from across the world. There will also be special sessions designed to bring together academics and practitioners in a bid to unlock some of the most pressing implementation challenges in the field. Professor Carolyn Heinrich, distinguished professor of Public Policy and Education at Vanderbilt University (US) will open the conference with a thought-provoking kenynote.

Day 1 will focus on the forefront of current academic research.

Day 2 will push the debate further, by bringing in perspectives and challenges from policy-makers and practitioners. 

The conference is open to researchers and practitioners interested in outcomes-based models of public service provision. Further information and registration is available via the GO Lab website.

Hosted by the Government Outcomes Lab, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford; Newcastle University Business School; Policy Innovation Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and RAND Europe.