Blog

Welfare programs are in developing countries can have low coverage as a result of low take-up. One barrier to take up may be the perceived lack of IDs. We explore if digital IDs and payments offer a possible solution.

Employee effectiveness is a key driver of productivity and economic development in the public sector. But how does one motivate public sector employees to perform and deliver services? Understanding what drives these employees to work hard, and how different (dis)incentives can energize (or reduce)...

Limited information during a firm's hiring decision or a workseeker's search can lead to "information frictions" that may contribute to the high global youth unemployment rate. In a recently published paper, J-PAL affiliated researchers showed how assessing youth workseeker skills in South Africa...

Corruption and ineffective program implementation often result in leakages, which are particularly concerning when it comes to social welfare programs, including cash transfers. But with rapid technological innovation and increasing connectivity, does digitization have the potential to help reduce...

Dr. Kodjo Aflagah joined the J-PAL Teaching at the Right Level and Digital Identification and Finance Initiative teams, having just completed his PhD in economics at the University of Maryland. His fields of specialization include development economics and applied econometrics, with a particular...

Dr. Faith Masekesa joined J-PAL Africa as a postdoctoral research fellow to support our administrative data partnership with the City of Cape Town. Her research interests span development economics, econometrics, experimental and behavioral economics, social protection and social policy.

The G7 partnership on women's digital financial inclusion in Africa, of which J-PAL Africa’s Digital Identification and Finance Initiative is a participant, recently held its first annual event focused on Catalyzing Digital Financial Services for Women Across Africa: Supporting Recovery, Resilience...

Governments around the world rely on social assistance to reduce poverty, but the poorest are often left behind. To what extent can digital identity and payment systems improve targeting of government transfers?