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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 man sitting in a chair receives a Covid-19 vaccine to the arm

Navigating Indonesia’s post-pandemic era: Addressing opportunity, inequality, and growth

J-PAL SEA recently hosted a webinar aimed at providing insights into the Government of Indonesia’s policy directions and learnings from global evidence on challenges faced in different sectors. Read the key takeaways from the discussion.
Two men work on a solar panel used for lighting village homes in Sri Lanka

Earth Day 2021: Evaluating the state of evidence in climate action and poverty alleviation

Earth Day presents an opportunity for citizens, policymakers, and the private sector alike to take stock of the state of our planet and our progress in fighting climate change. This Earth Day, we must also acknowledge climate change's disproportionate impact on people experiencing poverty. To...
People wearing masks stand in a line.

Growth is not enough

With an abundance of important and sometimes surprising findings from studies of socioeconomic interventions in recent decades, it is clear that development in the absence of evidence-based policymaking is a fool's errand. The small details matter as much as—and sometimes more than—the economic big...
Researchers from monitor carbon in peat swamp

King Climate Action Initiative’s first round of projects: Testing and scaling climate solutions

J-PAL's King Climate Action Initiative announced the results of its first competition aimed at identifying innovative solutions at the intersection of poverty and climate change, serving as a critical first step in building a longer playbook of evidence-based and cost-effective climate change...
Cars pass each other in traffic

Opportunities for state and local policy responses to climate change: A recap from the State and Local Webinar Series

In this post, J-PAL America highlights key takeaways from the “State and Local Policy Responses to Climate Change” webinar held on October 7, 2020, including the momentum of efforts around climate change and pollution mitigation, examples of current state and local interventions, and opportunities...
Zambian farmers load truck

Affiliate Spotlight: Kelsey Jack

J-PAL affiliate Kelsey Jack is leading a movement of climate-focused research within development economics and poverty alleviation through her own research and as co-chair of the King Climate Action Initiative.
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...
Four people wearing white hazard suits clean up oil on a beach

Rigorously evaluating Europe’s climate change response

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As part of a series on J-PAL’s expanding research on climate change issues, this post highlights the potential for using randomized evaluations to inform evidence-based climate policy in Europe.