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News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly email updates.

Farmers in Malawi gather around a laptop to learn about fingerprinting technology.

Challenges of fingerprinting: Will digital IDs revolutionise service delivery in sub-Saharan Africa?

Can digital IDs and biometric data collection really revolutionise service delivery in Africa? Digital identification systems could assist the delivery of emergency relief programs by uniquely identifying individuals in the target countries, generating a cleaner and more precise database. However...
A lecturer stands in front of a screen, facing a room filled with students seated at desks.

The third cohort of DEDP master’s students live and learn fully in person at MIT

This year, 31 students from twenty countries make up the third cohort of the Data, Economics, and Development Policy master’s program. Learn more about students’ life on campus, classes, and favorite moments so far in this post.
A woman stands in front of a bookcase wearing a black jacket and glasses.

Affiliate Spotlight: Tavneet Suri on the importance of locally-grounded research

A weak internet connection did not stop J-PAL Africa Scientific Director Tavneet Suri from getting her point across in our interview: Good research is done with an ear to the ground and a connection to the community. Calling in from her home country of Kenya, Tavneet emphasized how important it is...
Public servants from MIMP (Peru) participate in a training by IPA and J-PAL

Joining forces to address gender-based violence in Peru

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How can we identify the best strategies to confront gender-based violence? With this question in mind, in 2016 MIMP, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Peru, and J-PAL LAC launched a collaboration to develop a learning cycle and institutionalization of evidence-informed decision-making in Peru.
Man reaching out hand to use ATM

BAE Incubator partner series, part one: Evaluating the impact of cash transfers on housing stability

Cash transfers are an increasingly popular form of support, but there is a need for further evaluation in the context of homelessness reduction and prevention in the United States. J-PAL is committed to expanding this research base through our ongoing partnerships.
Chuka Ezeoguine stands in front of Killian Court on the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA.

J-PAL Africa Intern Spotlight: Chuka Ezeoguine’s journey pivoting to development economics from engineering

Chuka Ezeoguine is a 2021 J-PAL Africa intern who majored in engineering for his undergraduate degree, but had a keen interest in policy and pursued this passion. In this post, he talks about the steps he took to pivot to the field of development economics and his strides within our organization as...
Paraguayan saleswoman in front of clothing market

Evidence-informed strategies to support female microentrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean

One in three female workers in Latin America and the Caribbean are self-employed, but female microentrepreneurs encounter numerous unique barriers to running successful businesses that can vary across countries. A growing body of literature suggests that alternative training programs may be more...
African woman selling in a local market while using her mobile phone.

The challenges of targeting social protection programs

Delivering social benefits to people living in poverty in low- and middle-income countries can be particularly challenging as governments are unable to observe or measure the income of individuals and small businesses. How can these countries possibly identify the poorest in society in the absence...