Blog

News

Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, and read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters. For media inquiries, please email us.

Mobile Monitoring to Improve Adult Learning in Niger

Christopher Ksoll
Researchers tested whether making weekly calls to teachers, students, and the village chief during an adult education program in Niger could increase teacher accountability and improve student learning. Both the education program and the weekly calls increased students’ scores in reading and math.

Digital Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to Improve Food Security of Women in Afghanistan

Miguel Fajardo-Steinhäuser
Michael Findley
Researchers evaluated a program delivering digital aid payments on food security and mental well-being for vulnerable female-headed households in Afghanistan. Digital payments led to improved food security and mental well-being for beneficiaries. Digital delivery of aid was also cost-effective and...

Disrupting Education? Evidence on Technology-Aided Instruction in India

Researchers evaluated a computer-based adaptive learning platform (Mindspark) for secondary school students in urban India to measure the impact of customized learning technology on student test scores. The program increased test scores across all groups of students and was cost-effective compared...

Teacher Training and Student Achievement in Science: Evidence from France

Suzanne Bellue
Adrien Bouguen
Valérie Munier
André Tricot
Researchers evaluated the impact of its science and technology teacher training program on the educational interests and academic achievement of affected students. Student outcomes improved in the short-run during the year the teacher received the training and worsened in the year after teachers...

Understanding the Potential of Summer Jobs Programs for Youth in Philadelphia

Researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to test the impact of being offered a summer job through Philadelphia’s WorkReady program on outcomes related to criminal justice involvement, employment, and education.

Candidate Debate Participation for Citizen Engagement and Electoral Outcomes in Liberia

Jeremy Bowles
Researchers evaluated a nationwide debate initiative in Liberia designed to solicit and rebroadcast policy promises from legislative candidates. Results indicated that when leading candidates participated in debates, citizens were more engaged and informed.

Inter-religious Soccer Leagues to Promote Social Cohesion in Post-ISIS Iraq

Researchers evaluated the impact of mixed Christian-Muslim soccer teams on social cohesion and interactions between these groups in an ISIS-affected area of Iraq. Christians who played on mixed teams demonstrated a higher likelihood of engaging with Muslim teammates after the league ended, but the...