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

Side-by-side images of Mikey Jarrell and Ashley Vicary

DEDP Alumni Spotlight: Digging deeper into research questions inspired at MIT

In January 2023, the Data, Economics, and Design of Policy program welcomed its fourth cohort of students, who came from around the world to MIT for eight months of learning, building friendships, and tackling challenging projects and questions. As the class of 2023 graduates and joins our vibrant...
Two men and one women sit and look at a computer.

Tailoring training modules to strengthen evaluation partnerships: J-PAL’s custom courses

This is the second blog in a series illustrating stories of how J-PAL’s training courses have built new policy and research partnerships and strengthened existing ones to advance evidence-informed decision-making.
Four students collaborating around a computer

Empowering change-makers: The DEDP MicroMasters program expands to include a new Public Policy Track and course

The journey of the DEDP MicroMasters program has been marked by growth, reflection, and celebration. We are delighted to announce another milestone for the program: the launch of a new Public Policy Track to complement our existing curriculum. Accompanying this new Public Policy Track is a change in...
Students sitting as desks at J-PAL Africa’s 2022 Evaluating Social Programs course at the African School fof Economics in Abuja, Nigeria

Building skills to advance impact evaluation: J-PAL’s Evaluating Social Programs course

In this blog, we highlight two notable examples of how Evaluating Social Programs courses led to high-impact research and policy partnerships, while recognizing the impressive community of practice among course alumni around the world.
Graduating Class Photo

What makes the J-PAL/UC Diploma in Impact Evaluation unique? Members of the ‘22 cohort tell us about their experience

Since 2016, the Diploma in Impact Evaluation of Public Policy and Social Programs, offered jointly by J‑PAL Latin America and the Caribbean and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, has provided students with the tools to design and understand the results of rigorous program evaluations. Alumni...
Group of people at the Development Methodologies summer-school

Strengthening development economics research in Africa: A recap of the “Development Methodologies” summer school

In July, J-PAL organised the “Development Methodologies” summer school for over seventy African researchers and policymakers, in partnership with the French Development Agency, the Fund for Innovation in Development, and the École National Supérieure de Statistique et d’Économie Appliquée of Abidjan...
A woman wearing a red dress sits outdoors holding a laptop on her lap.

The future of the DEDP MicroMasters program

As we reflect on the five-year anniversary of the DEDP MicroMasters, we also look to the future. In the next five years, we will focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in expanding our body of learners, supporting our existing learners so they have the right resources to have a successful journey...
J-PAL Africa staff Palesa Thinta and Lloyd Belton reviewing MicroMasters material in Cape Town, South Africa.

Five years and counting: The DEDP MicroMasters program trains future leaders in the fight against global poverty

The past five years have been a remarkable journey indeed! The program, jointly led by J-PAL and MITx, has welcomed more than 50,000 learners from 214 countries and territories, with our courses amassing nearly half a million enrollments overall. We have awarded over 8,000 course certificates, and...