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

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How anticipating benefit loss shapes family choices

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In this post, J-PAL staff sit down with Manasi and Rebecca to discuss the results from their randomized evaluation on the effects of anticipating social safety net benefits on family choices.
Headshot of Amy Finkelstein, wearing black shirt, in front of wooden door

Affiliate spotlight: An interview with Amy Finkelstein on how randomized evaluations provide key insights for her new book on health insurance reform

Amy Finkelstein, co-scientific director of J-PAL North America, co-authored the book We’ve Got You Covered with Liran Einav, which examines the health care system in the United States and proposes how it should be redesigned. In this post, J-PAL staff sat down with Amy to discuss how randomized...
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Understanding the role and importance of spillover effects

A new J-PAL evidence wrap-up highlights three randomized evaluations that consider the spillover effects of three health care interventions. In this post, we discuss what spillover effects are, a summary of the highlighted studies highlighted, and the benefits to policymakers in considering...
Headshots of Laura Lee and Luke

Behind the Economics Transformation Project: Get to know our Instructional Designers

The Economics Transformation Project (ETP) is a student-informed pathway program that aims to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive field of economics for scholars from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the field. In this interview, our Instructional Designers share how their...
Gustavo Bobonis in front of fence and trees

Affiliate Spotlight: Gustavo J. Bobonis on advancing evidence generation and use in Puerto Rico

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In this Evidence Champion series, J-PAL North America is recognizing individuals in our network who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of evidence-based policymakin g. This piece features the work of Gustavo J. Bobonis , our inaugural researcher recipient. Gustavo is a professor of...
Carrie Cihak in room with other people

Partner Spotlight: Carrie S. Cihak on centering community perspectives and continual learning

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In this Evidence Champion series, J-PAL North America is recognizing individuals in our network who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of evidence-based policymakin g. This piece features the work of Carrie S. Cihak, our inaugural partner recipient. Carrie is the evidence and impact...
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Reflecting on a decade of impactful research at J-PAL North America: Informing crucial policy decisions at scale

In part five of J-PAL North America’s ten-year anniversary blog series, we distill key lessons on how to bridge the gap from research to policy to action.
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Reflecting on a decade of impactful research at J-PAL North America: Credibly identifying program impact

In part four of J-PAL North America’s ten-year anniversary blog series, we discuss how credible evidence from randomized evaluations is informative in identifying effective strategies to reduce poverty, regardless of the impact estimate.