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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 woman wearing a hijab sits typing at a computer

Improving female labor force participation in MENA

Female labor force participation in MENA is the lowest globally. Evidence from recent randomized evaluations conducted in MENA help shed light on some reasons why participation rates are so low and what types of policies could help increase them.
A microphone sits on top of a pile of pillows and blankets

Behind the scenes: Making the J-PAL Voices podcast

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With J-PAL Voices, J-PAL North America is making its first foray into podcasting. J-PAL North America’s Rohit Naimpally and Dave Lishansky of David Benjamin Sound take you behind the scenes and reflect on the experience of producing this podcast together.
Two female cashiers wearing face masks clean a counter.

Building an effective COVID-19 response: Expanding access to jobs and the social safety net

Job and wage losses in the United States have disproportionately impacted low-income workers, workers of color, and women, setting the stage for pre-existing racial and gendered wealth and wage gaps to widen. The COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Initiative aims to identify effective ways to support...
The outside of a city hall building.

Promoting upward mobility in partnership with state and local governments

This blog post is part one 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...
Cardboard boxes filled with paper files

Pandemic provides unprecedented opportunities to take justice online

By
  • Joyce Sadka
  • Isabel Mejía Fontanot
Labor courts in Mexico and many other low- and middle-income countries often provide low quality services. Since 2015, we have partnered with the Mexico City Labor Court, one of the largest courts dealing with firing cases in Latin America, to innovate in improving the court’s functioning.
Workers in a factory

Announcing joint partnership to launch the Morocco Employment Lab

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J-PAL and Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) at Harvard are partnering with the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Morocco Agency to launch the Morocco Employment Lab.
Young people in matching t-shirts sort cans.

Mayor de Blasio, bring back summer jobs

There is still time, and it can be done safely. The economic and social payoff is totally worth it. This op-ed was originally posted in the New York Times on June 29, 2020.
Two women sell clothing at a stand on a street

Announcing the J-PAL Jobs and Opportunity Initiative

COVID-19 has disrupted and altered labor markets across the globe. Through the Jobs and Opportunity Initiative, we are supporting urgent research that helps us understand how vulnerable workers around the world are being impacted by COVID-19, and how to design effective policy responses to protect...