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Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, and read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters. For media inquiries, please email us.

The Value of Communication for Mental Health in Ghana

Re searchers used a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of providing mobile calling credits to low-income adults on well-being outcomes in Ghana. Overall, the mobile credit intervention increased the ability for individuals to meet unexpected communication needs, particularly when delivered...

Examining Employer Race-based Discrimination Before and After Ban the Box

Sonja Starr
To better understand the connection between BTB policies and racial discrimination in hiring, researchers tested the impact of applicant race and criminal history on hiring decisions both before and after BTB policies came into effect in New Jersey and New York City. The results confirmed that...

The Impact of Improved Communication on Cal-Grant Take-Up Rates in the United States

Researchers evaluated the impact of simplified award letters and different framing and messaging on students’ decision-making in their college selection process and uptake of financial aid. Researchers found that notification letters containing simplified and behaviorally informed language increased...

The Impact of a School-Based Management Program on Student Performance in Mexico

Vicente Garcia-Moreno
Harry Anthony Patrinos
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to determine the effect of a school-based management program, Programa Escuelas de Calidad, on student performance in Mexico. The program combined a cash grant with state support to design and carry out school improvement plans. The intervention did not...

The Impact of Quality Upgrading and Market Access on Farmers’ Productivity and Profits in Uganda

Selene Ghisolfi
Frances Nsonzi
In western Uganda, researchers conducted a series of randomized evaluations that assessed the impact of introducing a combination of post-harvest services, training on agricultural best practices, and access to a market for high-quality maize on farmers’ productivity and profits. Researchers found...

Improving Guidelines for an Early Childhood Development Program in Rural Colombia

Researchers partnered with the Colombian Family Welfare Agency to evaluate how providing enhanced curriculum guidelines and larger nutritional supplements for the Family, Women, and Infancy Program impacted child development. Compared to children receiving the traditional FAMI program, the enhanced...

The Impact of Reducing Tax Rates and Strengthening Enforcement on Revenue Collection in the DRC

In partnership with the Provincial Government of Kasaï-Central in the Democratic Republic of Congo, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation during the 2018 property tax collection campaign to test the impact of lower property tax rates and stronger tax enforcement on revenue collection...

Leveraging Business Networks to Boost Women’s Entrepreneurship

Researchers investigated the role of online networking groups (via WhatsApp) and free legal aid on improving business innovation, practices, sales, and profits among growth-oriented women-owned firms in Ghana. They found that online networking groups meaningfully encouraged business innovation...