Search our database of 1,200+ summaries of randomized evaluations conducted by our affiliates in 99 countries. To browse key policy recommendations from a subset of these evaluations, visit the Policy Publications tab above.

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A stand advertising mobile phone-based money transfer service M-Pesa in Kenya

Unconditional Cash Transfers to Increase General Welfare and Local Public Finance in Kenya

Dennis Egger
Johannes Haushofer
Edward Miguel
Paul Niehaus
Michael Walker
Providing cash grants to low-income households without any strings attached has been proven to have various benefits on the lives of those who receive the transfers, but less is known about how this sudden influx of income affects the local economy and people living nearby. In western Kenya...
three people sit at a conference table

The Impact of Reframing Large Debt Burdens into Smaller Goals on Reducing Debt in the United States

Jeremy Burke
Simone Schaner
Researchers have partnered with a non-profit debt management provider and IPA to evaluate whether reframing difficult, long-lasting tasks, such as paying off large debts, into more easily-attainable “sub-goals” can help borrowers accomplish their goals of debt repayment and increase client retention...
A folder full of overdue medical bills.

Forgive and Forget: The Impact of Medical Debt Forgiveness on Financial Outcomes in the United States

Raymond Kluender
Neale Mahoney
Francis Wong
Wes Yin
In this randomized evaluation, researchers evaluated the impact of a medical debt relief program (that buys and relieves a portion of individuals’ medical debt) on measures of mental and physical health, health care utilization, and financial well-being—including financial distress, credit score...
mother holding twin babies

The Impact of Unconditional Cash Transfers to Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers on Child Health in India

Karthik Muralidharan
Paul Niehaus
Sandip Sukhtankar
Jeffrey Weaver
In partnership with the Government of Jharkhand, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to study the impact of unconditional, framed cash transfers to pregnant women and lactating mothers on child health.
Woman using a tablet.

Eliminating Behavioral Barriers to Saving through a Tablet App for the Base of the Pyramid in Paraguay

Viviane Azevedo
Jeanne Lafortune
Liliana Olarte
José Tessada
Researchers are partnering with a financial institution in Paraguay to evaluate the impact of a range of tablet-based applications, which remind people to save and help them make savings goals, on savings behavior of low-income individuals.
Women in headscarves seated on moroccan rugs process seeds

Microcredit in Rural Morocco

Bruno Crépon
Florencia Devoto
Esther Duflo
William Pariente
Researchers estimated the impact of a microcredit program, which was randomly rolled out in rural areas of Morocco. Thirteen percent of the households in treatment villages took a loan, and none in comparison villages did. Among households identified as more likely to borrow, microcredit access led...
J-PAL logo

Identity in Charitable Giving in the United States

Judd Kessler
Katherine Milkman
A large charitable organization in the United States conducted a series of direct mail appeals for donations using different identity primes in 2009-2010. Researchers found that priming a potential donor’s identity as either a previous donor to charity or as a member of their local community...
Two women engage in a transaction with one operating a mobile phone while the other holds a point-of-sale (POS) device

Increasing Mobile Banking Use Among Rural Populations in Ghana

Robert Osei
Emma Riley
Abu Shonchoy
Researchers assessed the impact of financial incentives and peer endorsement on mobile banking adoption and formal savings in Ghana. While financial incentives boosted adoption by 50 percent, peer endorsement was twice as effective, leading to sustained mobile banking use and a 30 percent increase...