Services · Research, Planning & Consulting
Research, evaluation, and strategic counsel for organizations serving people and communities.
The Economy of Wisdom Foundation partners with governments, nonprofits, foundations, universities, and mission-driven organizations to understand complex challenges, evaluate programs, engage communities, and develop practical solutions.
Our work combines rigorous research, lived experience, community engagement, systems thinking, and practical implementation. Our methods are published, transparent, and supported by permanent DOI records and open research practices.
We focus on the human, relational, and community impacts that shape whether a program or policy succeeds. Whether you are designing a new initiative, evaluating an existing program, exploring the impacts of artificial intelligence, or seeking a deeper understanding of community needs, we provide evidence-informed research and strategic guidance.
Who we work with
We partner with organizations across sectors:
Our team brings experience across public policy, community development, emerging technology, and grassroots engagement, including extensive fieldwork alongside marginalized and underserved populations.
01
Research & Analysis
Rigorous research that informs action.
We design and conduct original research, literature reviews, mixed-methods studies, environmental scans, and policy analyses. Our approach pairs quantitative evidence with qualitative insight grounded in lived experience and community realities. This is the method behind our published studies, including a 51-interview study in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Services include
- Research design
- Survey development and analysis
- Literature reviews
- Policy analysis
- Environmental scans
- Stakeholder interviews
- Community-based participatory research
- Strategic reports and briefing papers
02
Program Evaluation
Measuring outcomes that matter.
We measure the outcomes a program produces for individuals, communities, and systems, alongside its activities and outputs: community impact, social value, trust, participation, and resilience. Our evaluations apply the relational-value framework we publish through Transmutarianism, which scores how much deprivation a program absorbs and how much fulfillment it creates.
Services include
- Evaluation design
- Outcome measurement
- Impact assessment
- Theory of change
- Evaluation frameworks
- Community-informed evaluation
- Reporting and recommendations
03
Community Engagement
Engagement that reaches the people most affected.
We design and facilitate engagement that helps you hear from the people most affected by your decisions. We draw on direct fieldwork with marginalized and underserved communities, in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and elsewhere, to build trust, improve participation, and bring lived experience into planning and decision-making.
Services include
- Community consultation
- Stakeholder engagement
- Lived-experience research
- Focus groups
- Public dialogue and facilitation
- Participatory research
- Knowledge mobilization
04
AI & Public Resilience
Navigating emerging technologies responsibly.
We help organizations assess the opportunities, risks, governance questions, and community impacts of AI and emerging technologies. Our guidance draws on our published research into how AI systems reflect human values, whose perspectives are represented in training data, and how synthetic voices differ from human ones, alongside field evaluations such as our public-record analysis of the Telus data-centre cluster in Vancouver.
Services include
- AI readiness assessments
- Public-sector AI strategy
- Ethical impact assessment
- Community impact analysis
- Governance and policy guidance
- Public engagement on emerging technologies
05
Strategic Advisory
Support for leaders, boards, funders, and decision-makers.
We help leaders make sense of complex trade-offs involving community wellbeing, technology, public trust, and long-term resilience. We provide strategic advice on complex social challenges, emerging technologies, community resilience, and systems-level change, with engagements ranging from a single executive briefing to a long-term partnership. Our published field notes, including evaluations of the Telus data-centre cluster and British Columbia's FIFA World Cup hosting, show how we weigh competing priorities for decision-makers.
Focus areas
- Public resilience
- Social innovation
- Community wellbeing
- Emerging technology
- Systems thinking
- Relational value
- Policy development
- Strategic planning
06
Speaking & Workshops
Research-informed talks, workshops, and facilitation.
We translate complex research, social challenges, and emerging technologies into practical insight for decision-makers, practitioners, researchers, and community leaders. See past and upcoming appearances on the Talks page.
Available for
- Conferences
- Government forums
- Board retreats
- Academic events
- Community organizations
- Professional development sessions
Why Economy of Wisdom
We connect research, lived experience, public policy, and emerging technology into a coherent picture that supports better decisions. We combine rigorous research methods, direct community engagement, systems thinking, and practical implementation experience.
Our work helps organizations understand what is happening, why it is happening, who is affected, and which actions are most likely to create meaningful impact.
Our methods, frameworks, and findings are publicly documented through open publications, permanent DOI records, and transparent research practices. We believe trust is built through evidence, openness, and accountability.
Whether evaluating a program, engaging a community, or navigating technological change, we help decision-makers move from uncertainty to informed action.
Work with us
Whether you are seeking research, evaluation, community engagement, strategic advice, or support navigating emerging technologies, we would be pleased to discuss your project. Tell us about the challenge, opportunity, or question you are facing, and we will explore how we can help.