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.

More about J-PAL North America
To stay up to date on J-PAL North America's most exciting announcements, stories, and successes, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Considering a career at J-PAL North America? Review our Join Our Team brochure to learn more about our work and team culture.
In the 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...

J-PAL updates
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.

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.

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.”