Rigorous economics research can help solve many of our country’s greatest challenges, and many aspiring scholars are eager to contribute to evidence-based policymaking. By expanding access to training, mentorship, and networking opportunities, we can help translate that commitment into meaningful impact. J-PAL North America’s Economics Pathways program provides comprehensive researcher support to help aspiring scholars overcome barriers to becoming economics researchers, with a particular focus on randomized evaluations.
Economics Pathways activities—including technical training, direct mentorship, and funding opportunities—are designed for individuals all along the educational spectrum. Offerings aim to spark interest in economics and randomized evaluations among future researchers, build the capacity of early-career research staff, and support academic researchers in designing and pursuing funding for their first randomized evaluations. Through the Economics Pathways program, participants gain the knowledge, networks, and access to infrastructure to design and implement rigorous, impactful randomized evaluations to identify evidence-based solutions to critical policy questions.
We provide workshops, convenings, and written resources designed to spark initial interest in economics and randomized evaluations. Through these offerings, we aim to build skills and intuition and illuminate pathways for pursuing further education and careers in economics.
We host undergraduate interns annually for a semester-long program, providing students with research and policy experience and ongoing mentorship to help them become the next generation of researchers and policymakers.
Research Staff Training convenes in person annually and teaches topics such as survey design, using administrative data, conducting power calculations, and research ethics and transparency to predoctoral scholars and research staff working on randomized evaluations. The training builds technical capacity, strengthens practical skills necessary for implementing randomized evaluations, and supports knowledge sharing and community-building across the research network. Learn more about RST.
This virtual workshop series enables researchers to present on their early-stage evaluations and receive feedback from experienced J-PAL affiliated researchers and J-PAL staff when it can have the most impact, facilitating networking and community-building.
Our written research resources and evaluation toolkit support researchers undertaking randomized evaluations by providing practical guidance on topics including power calculations, trial registration, survey design and implementation, sampling, data visualization, and communicating results effectively. This resource is updated as new needs and best practices emerge.
This program equips early-career academic researchers with high-level technical training and practical skills to design a randomized controlled trial on issues of poverty in the United States. Through intensive training, ongoing mentorship, and proposal development support, participants work directly with J-PAL affiliated researchers and senior J-PAL staff to design and pursue funding for their first randomized evaluation. The program integrates quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods into research design and supports researchers in generating rigorous, policy-relevant evidence. Learn more about ARTEMIS.
J-PAL North America’s U.S. Scholars Program aims to strengthen and broaden the pipeline of early-career scholars. Designed for early-career academic researchers planning to conduct a randomized evaluation, this program offers research funding, technical assistance from J-PAL staff, mentorship from academic researchers, and networking opportunities to identify collaborators, as well as access to resources, training and workshops.
Russell Sage Foundation | 
Arnold Ventures | 
Rachel & Cory Capps |
Sarah Sahni, Senior Research Manager
Caleb Smith, Research Associate
Cat Darrow, Director of Research
Please email us at [email protected] for additional information about the Economics Pathways program.
