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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.

Voting and Habit Formation in the United States

During the 1998 state and federal elections and the 1999 city elections in New Haven, Connecticut, researchers found that face-to-face canvassing and direct mail appeals significantly increased voter turnout not only during the election year but also in the election a year after.

Soft Skills Training for Supervisors to Boost Productivity and Worker Satisfaction in India

Identifying and training effective managers is crucial for improving both firm productivity and worker well-being. Researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to test the impact of different combinations of managerial screening and training tools on business and worker well-being outcomes.

Interest Rate Subsidies and Savings Behavior in Kenya

A randomized evaluation in rural Kenya found that offering higher short-term interest rates on a savings account substantially increased bank account use two and a half years for after the promotional rate ended. Offering the interest rate promotion on individual bank accounts also increased...

The Impact of Women’s Employment and Control over Income on Family Planning in Rural India

Urmi Bhattacharya
Lisa Ho
Charity Troyer Moore
In rural India, researchers are testing whether helping women access public employment and receive wages through direct deposit into individual bank accounts can increase their chances of being employed, their control over earnings, and ultimately their family planning decisions.

The Effects of Crowdsourced Information Sharing on Farmers and Agricultural Markets in Pakistan

Buyers often have limited information on service quality in low- and middle-income countries. In the absence of information, buyers may receive low quality services or may choose not to seek out service at all, limiting potential benefits for households. Researchers evaluated a program in Pakistan...

The Impact of a Comprehensive Re-entry Program on Employment and Recidivism in the United States

Anthony Braga
Philip J. Cook
Songman Kang
Mallory O'Brien
Researchers examined whether a program that provides people who are incarcerated with services both prior to and after their release could improve employment prospects and reduce recidivism. One year later, the program increased employment and reduced the likelihood of re-arrest. However, earnings...