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

An aerial view of homes in Los Angeles

The LA Homelessness Evaluation Network: Supporting service providers in their efforts to generate and use evidence

J-PAL North America is partnering with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to offer LA-based homeless service providers a supportive “community of practice” around rigorous research. Through this effort, we aim to bolster organizations’ ability to generate and use evidence to inform decision-making as...
Rows of houses in the Bay Area in California on a hill in the sunlight

BAE Incubator partner series, part five: Seeking systems-level change to address housing instability

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Homelessness in the United States is a pressing issue that requires increased research on effective strategies to address it and foster long-term housing stability. With grant funding from Google.org—Google’s philanthropic arm—the Bay Area Evaluation (BAE) Incubator supported Bay Area service...
Two envelopes; one with the Minnesota Management and Budget Logo and text "400 Centennial Office Building 658 Cedar Street Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155." The other with the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy Logo and text "Prescription Monit 2828 University Av Minneapolis, MN 5 http://pmp.pharm Supporting Patien. Dr. Prescriber PMP Letter 111 Main St Anvtown. MN 55555"

Building research partnerships to address the opioid crisis in Minnesota, part two

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Mireille Jacobson (University of Southern California), Weston Merrick (Minnesota Management and Budget or MMB), and Adam Sacarny (Columbia University) sit down with J-PAL staff to discuss the results of their randomized evaluation assessing how various letters affected physicians’ use of Minnesota’s...
Headshot of Matthew Notowidigo in front of a bookcase

Introducing Matthew Notowidigdo, new co-scientific director of J-PAL North America

In this interview, the new Co-Scientific Director of J-PAL North America, Matthew Notowidigdo discusses his background and previous work with J-PAL North America, and he and Amy Finkelstein outline their priorities and goals for their work together as co-scientific directors.
Photo of Larry Katz with a background of rocks

Reflecting back and looking forward: A decade of generating evidence with J-PAL North America

Lawrence Katz, former co-scientific director of J-PAL North America, reflects on nearly ten years advising the regional office and provides key insights for the future of evidence-based policymaking in the region.
Two individuals holding pens, looking at charts and clipboards

How policymakers can ensure they’re supporting housing policies that work: Demystifying randomized evaluations

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  • Katie Fallon
Katie Fallon (Housing Matters) sits down with Bridget Mercier (J-PAL North America) to demystify randomized evaluations and underscore their value for policymakers and practitioners.
Two individuals at a table, one with a pen and clipboard with paper with text "Resume"

Researching racial equity: Evaluating “Ban the Box” policies

In this interview with J-PAL staff, Amanda Agan discusses her 2018 evaluation of "Ban the Box" policies on employment outcomes, finding disparate impacts by race, and explores the role of randomized evaluations in advancing racial equity.
Five headshots of J-PAL North America's Finance and Operations Team

J-PAL North America Staff Spotlight: Finance and Operations Team

The fifth installment of our Staff Spotlight series features five J-PAL North America staff members who support our work through their roles on the finance and operations team, which provides key support to the work of J-PAL North America, from hiring to budget management to fundraising.