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

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Grant Bridgman, J-PAL '14, on breaking down language barriers in Africa and Asia

The Alumni Spotlight series highlights J-PAL alumni who are making an impact across industries and around the world. Formerly a research analyst at J-PAL Africa, Grant Bridgman '14 now leads Uliza, a translation start-up that aims to improve access to information across hundreds of languages. He...
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Leonardo Shibata, J-PAL LAC '16, on the evolution of impact evaluation in Brazil

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In our Alumni Spotlight series, we explore the journeys of former J-PAL members who have continued to contribute to policy and research in various fields. Leonardo Shibata, a former J-PAL LAC Research and Training Manager in Brazil, now works at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He reflects...
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DEDP Alumni Spotlight: Varied paths, one mission toward evidence-based poverty alleviation

We are delighted to share the accomplishments of three alumni from the DEDP Master’s program at MIT. These exceptional individuals represent the growing number of alumni who embark on varied, ambitious careers in a wide range of roles within research, policy, and implementing organizations, but...
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DEDP Alumni Spotlight: Pursuing research around the world while staying connected to the J-PAL community

Since the inaugural 2020 cohort, 66 graduates of the DEDP program have earned their master’s degrees, and the current cohort will graduate in September 2023 to join the alumni community. We caught up with a few of our alumni who are PhD students to learn about their work, goals, and journeys from...
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Alumni Voices: The first draft of emissions trading in India

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Yuanjian Carla Li (former Senior Research Associate, 2010-12) and Arun Singh (former Research Associate, 2013-15) were among the first few research staff members at J-PAL South Asia who helped spur conversations around emissions trading in India.
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Laura Costica, J-PAL '14, on applying impact evaluations in humanitarian settings

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The Alumni Spotlight series highlights J-PAL alumni who are making an impact across industries and around the world. Formerly a research manager at J-PAL Africa, Laura Costica ‘14 now manages monitoring, learning, and evaluation at the IKEA Foundation. She describes her journey from J-PAL to the...
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Alumni Voices: What it takes to make policy change

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  • Héctor Salazar Salame
Héctor Salazar Salame, J-PAL '15 and the founding Executive Director of J-PAL Southeast Asia, reflects on the multi-dimensional approach needed to advance evidence-based social policy and lessons learned from his career in development policy. He currently serves as the Country Representative of The...
Neha Sharma stands at a podium holding a microphone, with a poster in the background that reads "Enhancing Private Sector Engagement in Adaptation: South to South Learning"

Neha Sharma, J-PAL ‘12, on evaluating the impact of climate investments

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The Alumni Spotlight series highlights J-PAL alumni who are making an impact across industries and around the world. Formerly a policy and training associate at J-PAL South Asia, Neha Sharma ‘12 now leads the Evaluation and Learning Unit at the Climate Investment Funds, hosted by the World Bank. She...