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

SJY graduated households

Graduation approach: Updated insights and best practices at scale

Recently, J-PAL updated its Policy Insight on the Graduation approach, in addition to a guide outlining key lessons from the large-scale adaptation of the graduation program, Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana (SJY) by the State Government of Bihar in India.
A group of five women stand in front of a historical fort.

Affiliate Spotlight: Simone Schaner on lessons learned from advancing evidence-based policy

Simone Schaner is an associate professor (research) of economics at the University of Southern California and co-chair of the Inclusive Financial Innovation Initiative. Simone’s interests revolve around decision-making processes within households, especially related to financial access, health care...
Participants sitting at table at J-PAL SEA’s learning collaborative forum in Indonesia

Accelerating financial inclusion in Indonesia through innovations in digital financial services: Early learnings from exploratory and pilot studies

On 26 January 2023, IFII hosted a learning collaborative to share insights from exploratory and pilot studies to inform policy and decision-making in the digital financial inclusion space. Speakers and participants from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector had the...
African women in a local market doing a digital transaction.

Digital IDs and e-payments in Africa: Consolidating what we (don’t) know (yet)

Digital identification (ID) can improve targeting and reduce leakages of government programs, while also enabling citizens to participate in the digital economy. However, digital ID systems can also lead to exclusion of vulnerable groups. The implementation of digital ID systems may be particularly...
MTN and Airtel Money mobile money agent on the edge of Kampala, Uganda

Digital payments in sub-Saharan Africa: Trends over the past decade

Between 2008 and 2010, poverty in Kenya was reduced by two percent due to better access to mobile money services. To better understand the potential pathways and scale of potential impact, we summarise the findings on the expansion of digital payments, such as mobile money, in sub-Saharan Africa...
A headshot of Monica Lambon-Quayefio

African Scholar Spotlight: Dr. Monica Lambon-Quayefio

In this post, we speak with Monica Lambon-Quayefio, a senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana. Monica’s primary research interests include health economics, spatial econometrics, development, and experimental economics.
A man holds up his physical ID card.

Can digital IDs transform service delivery in sub-Saharan Africa? Reflections from Tavneet Suri

Digital IDs have the potential to transform the delivery of social protection programs and other government services in sub-Saharan Africa through better targeting and reduced leakages. In this podcast, Tavneet Suri, professor of Applied Economics at MIT Sloan School of Management and co-chair of J...
Three women are seated on a bench outside of a dwelling, one of whom holds a small child. Two women are seated next to the bench, peeling garlic over a large bowl.

Mengatasi hambatan perempuan dalam mengadopsi layanan keuangan digital di Indonesia

Layanan keuangan digital atau Digital Financial Services (DFS) semakin umum digunakan di kehidupan sehari-hari. Dengan demikian, penting untuk memastikan bahwa perempuan dan laki-laki bisa mendapatkan manfaat yang sama dari teknologi ini.