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.

Willingness and Ability to Pay for the Kosim Clean Water Filter in Ghana

Researchers in Ghana are attempting to measure households' demand for simple ceramic water filters by offering the filter at different price levels through door-to-door sales. They will also explore whether different household characteristics, such as education, income, and health, affect a...

The Impact of Making Insurance Choices Easier in the United States

Jeffrey Kling
Eldar Shafir
Lee Vermeulen
Marian Wrobel
Researchers evaluated the effect of personalized options information on seniors' plan choices. They found that people who received personalized information were more likely to change plans, resulting in an average saving of US$100 per year. This suggests that direct information delivery can decrease...

Circumcision, Information, and HIV Prevention in Malawi

Researchers evaluated an information campaign in rural Malawi to examine the impact of providing information about voluntary medical male circumcision and HIV transmission risk on beliefs and sexual behavior. The program reduced risky sexual behavior among uncircumcised men, but did not increase...

Evaluating the Impact on Anemia of Making Double Fortified Salt Available in Bihar, India

Sharon Barnhardt
In Bihar, India, researchers examined how double fortified salt could be most effectively priced, marketed, and distributed in order to have the greatest impact on a range of health, education, and economic outcomes.

Contracting for Health in Cambodia

Indu Bhushan
Erik Bloom
David Clingingsmith
Rathavuth Hong
Elizabeth King
Brad Schwartz

Mobile Phone-Based Extension Services and Agricultural Advice for Cotton Farmers in India

Researchers introduced a mobile phone-based agricultural extension service to evaluate its impact on knowledge and adoption of effective farming methods among cotton farmers in Gujarat, India. They found that the service was highly effective in nudging farmers to adopt a number of recommended...

Changing Pedagogy to Improve Math Skills in Preschools in Peru

Mariana Alfonso
Emma Naslund-Hadley
In Peru, researchers evaluated the impact of a tailored inquiry- and problem-based learning approach on preschoolers’ performance in math. The program improved overall mathematics outcomes, which persisted for some content areas even one year after the program ended.

Social Pressure and Voter Turnout in the United States

Christopher Larimer
To study the effect of increased social pressure on turnout, researchers sent households one of four randomly selected mailings eleven days before Michigan’s August 2006 primary election. All four mailings increased turnout, but informing households of their neighbors’ past voting records raised...