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

Laura Feeney sits on a stool in front of a camera

Lessons learned in collecting data for government and randomized evaluations

Laura Feeney, Associate Director of Research and Training for J-PAL North America, recounts how her time as an economist at the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics helped prepare her for the realities of implementing randomized evaluations.
Kelly Bidwell stands in front of a colorful pattern backdrop

Alumni Voices from Government: Kelly Bidwell '15, Office of Evaluation Sciences, US General Services Administration

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  • Kelly Bidwell
Formerly a senior policy manager at J-PAL North America, Kelly Bidwell '15 now leads the Office of Evaluation Sciences within the United States General Services Administration. She describes her work to drive evidence generation and use across US government agencies in this post in the Alumni Voices...
A woman wearing academic dress sits in front of a laptop and smiles at the photographer.

Pursuing evidence-based policymaking during crisis

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In this blog post, members of a research-practice partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Education reflect on their strategies to improve education outcomes and to persevere during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Government officials stand on steps

Taking action on state and local policy priorities

This past fall, the J-PAL North America State and Local Innovation Initiative hosted a series of webinars to discuss how state and local governments can use lessons from randomized evaluations to address these timely policy challenges. The initiative seeks to take action on the conversations from...
Cars pass each other in traffic

Opportunities for state and local policy responses to climate change: A recap from the State and Local Webinar Series

In this post, J-PAL America highlights key takeaways from the “State and Local Policy Responses to Climate Change” webinar held on October 7, 2020, including the momentum of efforts around climate change and pollution mitigation, examples of current state and local interventions, and opportunities...
A screenshot from a J-PAL NA Zoom meeting featuring 25 people

J-PAL North America's reflections on 2020

J-PAL North America Executive Director Mary Ann Bates reflects on the last year in this post.
A view of the Boston common, city hall, and distant skyscrapers

Promoting upward mobility in partnership with state and local governments: A blueprint for future evaluations

This blog post is the final piece in a series on how state and local governments in the United States can promote upward mobility in their communities. It is part of J-PAL North America’s work to develop a learning agenda that summarizes the core research priorities from state and local governments...
Chris Knittel lectures in front of a blackboard.

Affiliate Spotlight: Christopher Knittel on researching firm and consumer responses to environment and energy policies

Christopher Knittel is the George P. Shultz Professor and a professor of applied economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In this J-PAL affiliate spotlight, Chris sheds light on the research questions he’s pursuing to inform policies on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon co-pollution...