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A woman rides a tricycle to collect recyclables, which she negotiated with building administrators, neighbors, and hotel managers

Gender and Economic Agency Initiative increases funding to Latin America and South Asia with third funding round

As the world enters its third year with Covid-19, gender inequalities that existed before the pandemic continue to impact women around the world. Since its creation in 2020, the Gender and Economic Agency Initiative has been seeking to address gender inequalities related to women's labor force...
Two women are pictured surrounded by colorful fabric scraps. One women is sitting at the desk working with a grey sewing machine, while the other woman is sitting behind her cross legged on the floor folding a scrape of brown fabric.

Evidence on soft skills and women’s labor market outcomes

Worldwide, nearly 7 percent of employed people live below the extreme poverty line (US$1.90 purchasing power parity per day). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), about 147 million people were underemployed based on the number of hours they worked in 2019. Skills and vocational training...
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.
Unidentified Ghanaian pupils in school uniform in a local village. Photo: nicolasdecorte | Shutterstock.com

Want to get girls to school in sub-Saharan Africa? Tackle poverty

Female education remains a key challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to the largest population of out-of-school girls. Poverty remains a key barrier to school enrolment, especially following the economic disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Can governments really hope to tackle...
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...
A woman speaks into a microphone while standing in front of a crowd and a banner that reads "Gender Sector Launch"

Alumni Voices: A perennial student

As the former director of Policy, Training and Communications at J-PAL South Asia, Shagun Sabarwal '21 was instrumental to pushing forward J-PAL's mission of evidence-based policymaking in India and expanding our portfolio of scale-ups and state partnerships. Now leading WomenLift Health’s efforts...
Public servants from MIMP (Peru) participate in a training by IPA and J-PAL

Joining forces to address gender-based violence in Peru

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How can we identify the best strategies to confront gender-based violence? With this question in mind, in 2016 MIMP, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Peru, and J-PAL LAC launched a collaboration to develop a learning cycle and institutionalization of evidence-informed decision-making in Peru.