J-PAL North America, based at MIT, leads J-PAL’s work in the North America region. J-PAL North America conducts randomized evaluations, builds partnerships for evidence-informed policymaking, and helps partners scale up effective programs.

Our work spans a wide range of sectors including health care, housing, criminal justice, education, and economic mobility. We leverage research by affiliated professors from universities across the continent and a full-time staff of researchers, policy experts, and administrative professionals to generate and disseminate rigorous evidence about which anti-poverty social policies work and why.

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News

Opinion: Want to fix America’s maternal health crisis? Here’s where to start.

The Editorial Board writes calls for federal, state, and local institutions to start thinking creatively about how to better serve mothers. Features J-PAL affiliated researcher Jessica Cohen (Harvard University) and J-PAL supported research from affiliated researcher Margaret McConnell (Harvard...

Phone with message reading "Helpful reminder from Shasta County Superior Court. You have court on 6/015/2021 at 3:00 pm at 1500 Court Street, Department 3 in Redding. What time should you leave to get there by 3:00 pm? Any other arrangements to make? Missing court can lead to your arrest. If you have any questions regarding your court date, you may call (530) 245-6789 between 8:30 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm M-F, excluding holidays.
Update

July 2023 North America Newsletter

J-PAL North America's July newsletter features a new policy brief on court nonappearance; new research results on effective legal representation; and an op-ed on summer jobs programs.  

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Blog

Fostering inclusion in economics: Matt Notowidigdo on the value (and limitations) of mentorship

In part three of a series on fostering inclusion in the field of economics, Matt Notowidigdo (University of Chicago) discusses the value of mentorship on advancing diversity and inclusion in the field of economics. 

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Blog

Overcoming administrative burdens: Strategies to increase FAFSA filing in the United States

A new J-PAL policy insight highlights evidence from randomized evaluations on interventions to increase FAFSA filing rates. In this post, we situate the insight within the larger context of higher education and barriers to accessing public programs, also known as “administrative burdens.”