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

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.
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.

Overcoming barriers to women’s adoption of digital financial services in Indonesia

In Indonesia, various efforts, such as digital financial education programs, expansion of QR code utilization to different types of merchants, and onboarding women-owned businesses to e-commerce platforms, have been and continue to be implemented to increase women’s adoption of digital financial...
Woman in her studio

Improving access to microfinance in Chile: Lessons from a strong collaboration with Fondo Esperanza

For four years, Chilean microfinance institution Fondo Esperanza has strengthened a close collaboration with J-PAL affiliates, Natalia Rigol and Benjamin Roth, and their research team. A recently published working paper has resulted from the fruitful partnership, as well as including new evaluations...
Women in Kenya walk along town street while in conversation.

Unpacking the evidence on social programs in sub-Saharan Africa

J-PAL Africa recently concluded a five-part blog series providing evidence-informed perspectives on key debates in the fight against poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting lessons for policymakers.
Headshot of Dr. Nkechi Owoo

African Scholar Spotlight: Dr. Nkechi Owoo

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In this post we speak with Dr. Nkechi Owoo, a senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana. Nkechi’s primary research interests relate to gender, health, demography, and poverty alleviation.
Mujer con hijo en su espalda asiste a hospital

The effect of cash transfers on women's well-being: Lessons from evidence in Latin America

There is no consensus on the effects of cash transfers on women's lives, especially regarding empowerment and violence perpetrated by their intimate partners. This blog post reviews existing evidence from Latin America and draws lessons for policymakers on the scope and limits of these programs for...
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 woman stands in front of a bookcase wearing a black jacket and glasses.

Affiliate Spotlight: Tavneet Suri on the importance of locally-grounded research

A weak internet connection did not stop J-PAL Africa Scientific Director Tavneet Suri from getting her point across in our interview: Good research is done with an ear to the ground and a connection to the community. Calling in from her home country of Kenya, Tavneet emphasized how important it is...