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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 person manages book of mobile cash transfers

Incentivizing public sector employees: The role of digital technology in enhancing the carrot and the stick

Employee effectiveness is a key driver of productivity and economic development in the public sector. But how does one motivate public sector employees to perform and deliver services? Understanding what drives these employees to work hard, and how different (dis)incentives can energize (or reduce)...
Chris Knittel lectures in front of a blackboard.

Affiliate Spotlight: Christopher Knittel on researching firm and consumer responses to environment and energy policies

Christopher Knittel is the George P. Shultz Professor and a professor of applied economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In this J-PAL affiliate spotlight, Chris sheds light on the research questions he’s pursuing to inform policies on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon co-pollution...
A women wearing a face mask sits outside with two children, also wearing face masks.

Motivating new education research and scale for COVID-19 recovery

J-PAL is launching a one-time Education Research and Scale for COVID-19 Recovery innovation competition to fund randomized evaluations and scale-ups of strategies to improve access, quality, equity, and relevance of pre-primary, primary, and post-primary education in response to the ongoing COVID...
A close-up picture of two hands operating a card reader

Tantangan dan Isu Utama dalam Meningkatkan Inklusi Layanan Keuangan Digital di Indonesia: Analisis Laporan White paper IFII J-PAL SEA

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Keberhasilan Indonesia dalam meningkatkan inklusi keuangan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir didukung oleh komitmen yang kuat dari pemerintah dan sektor swasta, serta pesatnya inovasi teknologi terutama yang mendukung penyediaan layanan keuangan digital atau digital financial service (DFS). Memperluas...
A close-up picture of two hands operating a card reader

Key issues and challenges for advancing inclusive digital financial services in Indonesia

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How can technological innovations in digital finance help accelerate progress? This blog recaps an October webinar hosted by J-PAL SEA's Inclusive Financial Innovation Initiative (IFII), which provided an overview of the financial inclusion and digital finance services sector in Indonesia and...
A woman wearing a mask helps an older woman to tie on her mask.

Monitoring the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia

The rapid spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia has wreaked havoc on Indonesia's economy. J-PAL SEA has been conducting a continuous online survey since April 2020 to provide real-time data on the impact of COVID-19 in Indonesia.
Girls in uniforms sit in a classroom in India

Reflections from seven years of research in J-PAL’s Post-Primary Education Initiative

J-PAL’s Post-Primary Education Initiative has funded more than 140 projects since its inception in 2013. We reflect on what we’ve learned through this research—and where we go from here.
Commuters ride an escalator in London

Promoting upward mobility in partnership with state and local governments: The intersection of gender, race, health, and poverty alleviation

This blog post is part two 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...