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

Entrepreneurs exhibiting soft skills in a group meeting.

Soft skills training can improve employment outcomes and bolster entrepreneurship

How can entrepreneurs gain the skills to run a successful business? An emerging body of rigorous research demonstrates the importance of not only training in hard skills, but also soft skills, like communication and self-awareness.
A diverse group of co-workers mingle and work together in a common work space in Nairobi, Kenya

Policy and research to combat bias in the workplace

Rigorous research has shown that discriminatory practices are often embedded in the workplace. Many organizations have been developing tools and strategies to counter this type of bias for their employees. But how can we know which strategies are the most effective at combating bias in employment...
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.
Paraguayan saleswoman in front of clothing market

Evidence-informed strategies to support female microentrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean

One in three female workers in Latin America and the Caribbean are self-employed, but female microentrepreneurs encounter numerous unique barriers to running successful businesses that can vary across countries. A growing body of literature suggests that alternative training programs may be more...
Two smiling women exchange a roll of fabric inside a textile factory in Zimbabwe.

Jobs and Opportunity Initiative commits first round of funds for research on entrepreneurship and enterprise development

Covid-19 has had a dramatic and lasting impact on the micro, small, and medium enterprise landscape worldwide, driving many to shut down or radically reshape the way they do business. The consequences of this shift extend beyond the firm to the livelihoods of its workers and their families...
A man rides a bicycle wearing a delivery backpack and a mask

Learn how to evaluate your program with JOI Brazil

JOI Brazil’s social incubation process aims to support organizations in developing an evaluation proposal that can be funded through JOI.
An Indian woman sits at a sewing machine, stitching a purse

Gender and Economic Agency Initiative funds nineteen new research projects on women’s work

GEA has completed its second full funding round, supporting nineteen research teams to produce evidence that addresses critical knowledge gaps on what works to support women’s economic agency. Read about the funded projects.
Training staff posing for a group photo in Cairo, Egypt

Catalyzing the use of evidence for effective business training and finance in Egypt

Alison Fahey and Lobna Kassim reflect on the successful partnership between J-PAL MENA at AUC and the MSME Development Agency to create a culture of evidence-based program and policy design.