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

Two female cashiers wearing face masks clean a counter.

Building an effective COVID-19 response: Expanding access to jobs and the social safety net

Job and wage losses in the United States have disproportionately impacted low-income workers, workers of color, and women, setting the stage for pre-existing racial and gendered wealth and wage gaps to widen. The COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Initiative aims to identify effective ways to support...
The outside of a city hall building.

Promoting upward mobility in partnership with state and local governments

This blog post is part one of three 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...
Two people dressed in personal protective equipment administer COVID-19 tests to people inside a car.

Building an effective COVID-19 response: Strategies to improve health care delivery and increase health equity

Better understanding and addressing the social determinants of health is critical to improving individual and population health and advancing health equity. J-PAL North America’s COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Initiative aims to contribute to knowledge in this area by testing strategies to...
A young boy wearing headphones writes on a piece of paper in front of a laptop

Building an effective COVID-19 response: Addressing the education crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant reductions in the quality and quantity of schooling across the United States. J-PAL North America’sThe COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience InitiativeCOVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Initiative aims to identify effective ways to support students...
Headshot of a woman

Affiliate Spotlight: Sarah Cohodes on remote education, school reopenings, and student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the new school year begins and COVID-19 cases continue to spread across the United States, questions remain about how to educate students effectively and safely. We sat down with affiliate Sarah Cohodes to discuss the school reopening process, the impact of remote learning on students and parents...
People wearing masks walking along a crowded sidewalk

Building an effective COVID-19 response: A guide for future research

How can policy leaders best support their communities in the face of the joblessness, educational setbacks, and trauma inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic? Rigorous evidence will play a critical role in helping us understand which policies and programs will truly work to help communities recover in...
A cityscape crowded with apartment buildings.

Building research partnerships to create moves to opportunity

J-PAL affiliate and Director of Opportunity Insights Raj Chetty reflects on partnering with J-PAL North America to evaluate an intervention called Creating Moves to Opportunity, which aims to help lower-income families in the United States to move to higher-opportunity areas.
A person reads to young children sitting on the ground.

A personal reflection on summer youth employment programs

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As part of the June issue of J-PAL North America’s monthly newsletter, Yiping Li, a Policy Associate at J-PAL North America, shared her personal experience with Chicago’s summer youth employment program, One Summer Chicago.