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

Kids playing during school

Improving the quality of preschool education in Brazil

Bracell Foundation and J-PAL LAC launched a project, “Strengthening Learning and Development in Brazilian Preschools,” to identify, implement, and evaluate promising programs focused on improving the quality of education in preschools that have the potential to be scaled up.
Learning math in classroom India

The making of an NGO consortium to scale up “Every Child Counts” in India

In India, nearly every eligible child is enrolled in a primary school today. But many of them struggle to read simple sentences and do basic arithmetic. These children need special support to strengthen their foundational learning capabilities. Every Child Counts - a game-based curriculum designed...
Dulce Colín, general director for gender equality at the Government of Mexico City.

Video interview: Partnering with the Government of Mexico City to prevent gender violence

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Generating evidence to inform policies for gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a crucial priority for J-PAL LAC, and government partnerships are critical to achieving this goal. Since 2020, J-PAL LAC has been partnering with the Mexico City Women's Secretariat (SEMUJERES)...
PPF's Spring Meeting titled “Fair Transitions” on June 10, 2024, at UM6P in Benguerir, Morocco, convening heads of state to he need for stakeholder cohesion and attracting financial investment.

Mobilizing agricultural development in Africa: J-PAL joins the Paris Peace Forum Coalition

The Paris Peace Forum (PPF), a French nonprofit organization, launched a policy initiative in 2023 called "Mobilizing for Strong and Sustainable Food and Nutrition Systems in Africa" to promote sustainable agricultural transformation on the African continent through South-North dialogue on policy...
This is an image of a photo collage, with two photos side by side. In the left photo, a girl stands in purple shirt and white head scarf, smiling and looking away from the camera. In the right photo, a boy stands outside in snow wearing jeans and a red sweatshirt, looking at the camera and smiling.

Yhdessä (Together): Creating documentary photography on inclusion and friendship in Finnish schools

We embarked on a documentary photography project to capture the people and activities behind a Finnish primary school intervention aimed at fostering social inclusion in schools. Our aim was to showcase the crucial role of visual storytelling in human-centered research and policymaking.
A headshot of a woman

Scaling an early childhood program in Peru: Lessons from an alliance between Aporta, IPA, and J-PAL LAC

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In 2017, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Peru and J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean (J-PAL LAC) began a collaboration with the Peruvian civil association Aporta—the social impact platform of Breca, a conglomerate of Peruvian companies. The main goal was to promote the use of data and...
A craft store employee in Cianjur, West Java.

Using alternative data and artificial intelligence to expand financial inclusion: Evidence-based insights

Firms using innovative credit-scoring (ICS) have emerged to help banks and peer-to-peer lenders predict potential borrowers’ likelihood to repay a loan. In contrast to traditional credit scoring models that use credit history, ICS uses artificial intelligence to evaluate data unrelated to a borrower...
Two women wearing headscarves use a drill to upcycle a piece of wood furniture.

New Humanitarian Protection Initiative will help reduce harm to people affected by conflict

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Today, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) launch the Humanitarian Protection Initiative (HPI). The core of this initiative is a research fund dedicated to generating rigorous evidence to inform policies and programs that protect conflict...