Blog

As governments face multiple economic, political, and environmental constraints, it may be tempting to turn to new technologies or shiny silver bullets to deliver results. But here is what we know: lasting climate resilience won’t come from a new AI tool or financing on its own. Because without...

Partnerships between city governments and research and evidence-focused institutions can help bridge the gap between urban policy, implementation, and rigorous evaluation. This is precisely where the role of learning and evaluation partners like J-PAL’s Hub of Advanced Policy Innovation for the...

As rising temperatures threaten to reverse gains in the fight against poverty, communities on the frontlines need solutions that work. Since 2020, J-PAL's King Climate Action Initiative has funded research has informed policies and programs improving the lives of nearly 33 million people.

Cape Town’s 2017 water crisis prompted the City government to look at its data differently. Behind the millions of meter readings and billing records lay unanswered questions: How successful were the water conservation efforts across different areas in Cape Town? What does equitable water pricing...

In Belém, Brazil, where the Amazon rivers converge and forests help regulate the earth’s temperature, COP30 last month was a unique summit and call to action. Climate change is not just an environmental crisis—it is a development crisis. Low-income people in low- and middle-income countries are...

The people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance are among those hardest hit by cuts to foreign aid. With humanitarian funding at historic lows, many essential services are being scaled back or suspended altogether, leading to preventable deaths and putting millions more lives at risk. Restoring...

In this episode of the Researcher Spotlight Series, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Ariel Zucker, assistant professor of economics at UC Santa Cruz. Ariel discusses her journey from an early interest in global health disparities to becoming a development economist specializing in experimental...

The private sector is a fundamental force for driving global prosperity. For corporations and investors, there’s enormous opportunity in low- and middle-income countries’ growing markets and talent. What’s less clear is how to partner most effectively for maximum impact: How can multinationals...