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

A collage of WiEP member headshots

Breaking the glass ceiling in economics and policy, one conversation at a time

Read our interview with Prerna Kundu and Prashansa Srivastava, Co-Founders of Women in Economics and Policy, and Research Associates at J-PAL South Asia.
Sweta Suman stands on a stage and speaks to an audience

Alumni Voices from Government: Sweta Suman ‘18, Indian Administrative Service

By
  • Sweta Suman
Formerly a research associate at J-PAL South Asia, Sweta Suman ‘18 is now training to become an officer in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), where she will implement and eventually shape development policy in India. She describes her experience at J-PAL and the path to becoming an IAS officer...
Jasmine Shah stands among a crowd of people looking at an electric vehicle battery swapping facility.

Alumni Voices from Government: Jasmine Shah ‘16, Dialogue and Development Commission, Delhi Government

By
  • Jasmine Shah
Formerly the deputy director of J-PAL South Asia, Jasmine Shah ‘16 now leads public policy design and implementation at the Dialogue and Development Commission within the Delhi government. He describes the transition from J-PAL to government in this post in our Alumni Voices from Government series.
People wait in line to make a transaction

Creating learning opportunities all along the bureaucratic ladder

By
  • Siddarth Pandit
Siddarth Pandit explains how Creating Learning Opportunities for Public Officials (C-LOP), hosted by J-PAL South Asia, seeks to transform the Indian state’s execution capacity by helping government organizations and officials acquire and improve upon the requisite skills to be successful in their...
A woman sits and smiles

A five-question women’s agency index created using machine learning and qualitative interviews

Women’s agency, or their ability to make and act on their choices for their lives, is an important concept in research and policy related to gender equality. Many policies aim to increase women’s agency, which could be a means for them to improve their health, economic security, and decision-making...
Four children in sit in the Mindspark lab in India, engaging with a learning program on their computers.

A well CAL-ibrated approach to addressing learning losses in a post-Covid classroom

When schools in India reopen after the pandemic, the learning gap may further widen for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Research suggests personalizing instruction can be one of the most effective ways of improving learning while making judicious use of existing educational resources.
People in a queue for a vaccination drive.

Strengthening social assistance and health response to COVID-19 in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the proportion of the population in low- and middle-income countries that require social assistance from governments to deal with economic and health vulnerabilities. Can social assistance schemes be better designed so that they reach those who need support the...
Six women sit in a row with their backs to a wall

Addressing inequalities in women’s work: J-PAL launches Gender and Economic Agency Initiative

Women face even greater challenges to labor force participation than usual due to the pandemic. J-PAL’s new Gender and Economic Agency Initiative (GEA) launches to support innovative research on strategies to promote women’s work and enhance women’s economic agency.