Center for Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector (IRIS)

 

IRIS is a policy research and advisory center dedicated to facilitating economic growth and improving governance in developing and transition countries. In partnership with international donors, reformers, and scholars, IRIS conducts research, designs and implements programs, and promotes the sharing and application of innovative ideas and insights. Based in economics, but taking an interdisciplinary approach, IRIS focuses on the role of institutions—the formal and informal rules by which individuals organize economic, political, and social activity. IRIS's main areas of expertise include economic and institutional analysis, enterprise development, governance and civil society, and legal and regulatory reform. 

IRIS was founded in 1990 by Mancur Olson (pictured at right), an eminent economist and social-science thinker, with a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Olson was dedicated to developing and implementing the insight that strong political and legal institutions are not only a hallmark of good governance but also a critical determinant of economic growth. Development economics and growth theory (which traditionally concentrated on capital accumulation and technological progress) now broadly incorporate Olson's emphasis on institutions.

Located in the Economics Department at the University of Maryland, College Park, IRIS is staffed by lawyers, economists, and development specialists. IRIS operates within University Research Corporation, International—a non-profit research and advisory affiliate of the University. IRIS is currently led by Executive Director Dr. Dennis H. Wood.

IRIS research has been important to the increasing acceptance of the idea that institutions such as contract enforcement and property rights are important to levels of investment and income in developing economies; that political governance plays a causal role in the quality of these institutions and that symptoms of institutional failure, such as corruption or low levels of credit, will be remedied mainly by attention to institutions that are often taken for granted in more prosperous societies. This work has led to over 260 programs in more than 70 countries including Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Chad, Egypt, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and Zambia. Support for IRIS work comes from USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other multilateral donors, bilateral donors such as the German and Swedish development agencies, private foundations and developing country governments.

The work includes collaborative research programs with local universities and institutes, development of legal reforms from civil codes to sector-specific reforms, field studies of institutional quality and service delivery, convening of more than 300 conferences and seminars to disseminate research and best practices and training for local officials and reform leaders. The research program has produced more than 300 working papers and country reports; over 100 articles published in refereed economics, legal, and political science journals; and 15 books.

IRIS provides research opportunities for graduate students and exposure to donors and other institutes around the world with whom IRIS has on-going projects. Several IRIS staff are Maryland graduates; other IRIS graduate student alumni have moved on to jobs in academia, international organizations, and the private sector. A Visiting Scholar program brings leading scholars from around the world to IRIS for extended stays. IRIS also employs around a dozen students each semester to assist in daily operations. More information on IRIS can be found at http://www.iris.umd.edu.