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A grid of headshots of the 34 alumni who have participated in our feature series.

Reflecting on our global alumni community

We celebrate our alumni and their many interests and achievements through an ongoing series of interviews and blogs in which alumni share their work in their own words. Marking the third year of this documentation project, we're highlighting the 34 remarkable individuals we’ve interviewed to date to...
Rahma stands in front of a screen

Rahma Ali, J-PAL ‘21, on bringing together statistics and purpose for development research

Rahma Ali is a former research manager at J-PAL Middle East and North Africa, where she was at the forefront of establishing the office’s research operations in Egypt and pushing forward randomized evaluations on employment and livelihood generation in the country. Now at Global TIES for Children at...
Headshot of John Tebes in a suit in front of a brick wall

John Tebes, J-PAL ’16, on using economic research to reduce inequality in the United States

By
John Tebes is a former research analyst for Amy Finkelstein at J-PAL North America. Now, as an economics PhD candidate at Harvard and an incoming Assistant Research Professor of Economics at Notre Dame, he researches how public policy can exacerbate or mitigate U.S. poverty traps. He reflects on his...
A group of workers in blue jumpsuits; one writing on whiteboard

How randomized evaluations build evidence to inform workforce program design, policy, and investment

J-PAL North America and WorkRise recently convened a panel to discuss sectoral employment training and the role of rigorous research in guiding the development of pathways to high-quality jobs. Here are four key takeaways.
A woman speaks into a microphone while standing in front of a crowd and a banner that reads "Gender Sector Launch"

Alumni Voices: A perennial student

As the former director of Policy, Training and Communications at J-PAL South Asia, Shagun Sabarwal '21 was instrumental to pushing forward J-PAL's mission of evidence-based policymaking in India and expanding our portfolio of scale-ups and state partnerships. Now leading WomenLift Health’s efforts...
Wisconsin State Capitol Building

J-PAL North America State and Local Innovation Initiative’s resources for American Rescue Plan evaluation and evidence use

By leveraging the flexible funding offered by the American Rescue Plan, J-PAL North America's State and Local Innovation Initiative can support governments in building program evaluations into new policies and support the scale up of evidence-based approaches.
Farmers in Malawi gather around a laptop to learn about fingerprinting technology.

Challenges of fingerprinting: Will digital IDs revolutionise service delivery in sub-Saharan Africa?

Can digital IDs and biometric data collection really revolutionise service delivery in Africa? Digital identification systems could assist the delivery of emergency relief programs by uniquely identifying individuals in the target countries, generating a cleaner and more precise database. However...
A lecturer stands in front of a screen, facing a room filled with students seated at desks.

The third cohort of DEDP master’s students live and learn fully in person at MIT

This year, 31 students from twenty countries make up the third cohort of the Data, Economics, and Development Policy master’s program. Learn more about students’ life on campus, classes, and favorite moments so far in this post.