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.

The Effect of Incentive-Based Pay in the Weatherization Assistance Program on Energy Efficiency in Illinois

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation of the Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program (IHWAP), which aims to improve energy efficiency in low-income households. The study tested the impact of performance-based pay for contractors implementing air sealing retrofits as part of IHWAP...

The Impact of Defaults and Financial Incentives on Savings Decisions on a Mobile Money Platform in Afghanistan

In partnership with a mobile network operator launching a new phone-based savings account, researchers evaluated the role of defaults and financial incentives on savings decisions. Two months after the launch of the phone-based savings account, the company’s employees randomly assigned a default...

The Impact of Gender-Targeted Cash Transfers in North Macedonia

Ingvild Almas
Alex Armand
Valerie Lechene
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of targeting cash transfers to women on household spending and women’s empowerment. Targeting the cash transfer to mothers increased household spending on food. Women offered the transfers also had stronger measures of empowerment...

Cash and Stash: Encouraging Saving at a Check Casher in the United States

Many financial products such as 401k plans have been designed to help US consumers overcome limited self-control and limited attention in order to reach their savings goals. However, reaching low-income consumers with such behaviorally-designed financial products can be difficult. In the Bronx, NY...

Improving Credit Scores with Information in Peru

In Peru, researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of an SMS reminder campaign on the frequency of credit report checks, credit scores, total debt levels, and interest rates paid on debt.

Encouraging Savings through SMS Messages in the Dominican Republic

There is a growing body of evidence on the efficacy of SMS reminders to encourage banking clients to save more. Researchers in the Dominican Republic partnered with savings and credit institution Banco Unión to conduct two randomized evaluations of tailored SMS reminders.

The Effects of STEM Summer Programs on College Major, Persistence, and Graduation for Underrepresented High School Students in the United States

Helen Ho
Silvia Robles
Researchers evaluated three STEM-focused summer programs for high school students and found that the programs increased students’ likelihood of attending a highly-ranked university, graduating, and earning a degree in STEM.