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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.

Targeting Foundational Skills to Improve Learning at Scale in Zambia

Andreas de Barros
Theresa Lubozha
Researchers studied Zambia's Teaching at the Right Level program, delivered by government teachers nationwide, using a pre-registered cluster-randomized trial and an event study covering 4.4 million exam scores. After two years, the program improved children’s foundational literacy and numeracy...

Returns to Apprenticeship Training in Ghana

Researchers measured the impact of a government apprenticeship program for youth in Ghana on wages, employment, skills, fertility, migration, and other outcomes. The results suggest that apprenticeship programs can provide youth with skills and transition them into self-employment.

Motivating Citizens to Seek Political Office in Pakistan

Saad Gulzar
Researchers examined the impact of different types of motivation on the number and quality of candidates running for village councils in Pakistan, electoral outcomes, and elected candidates’ policy alignment with citizens’ interests. They found that portraying politics as socially beneficial–rather...

Combining Soil-Specific Recommendations with Vouchers to Increase Fertilizer Use and Yields among Farmers in Tanzania

Nyambilila Amuri
Aurélie P. Harou
Malgosia Madajewicz
Christopher Magomba
Cheryl A. Palm
Johnson M. Semoka
Kevin Tschirhart
Ray Weil
Small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have limited information about the soil nutrient limitations of their own plots and what fertilizers to use to address them.

Targeting the Ultra Poor in Yemen

To test this theory, researchers evaluated a multi-faceted approach aimed at improving long term income of the ultra-poor in multiple countries, including Yemen.

Mobile Monitoring to Improve Adult Learning in Niger

Christopher Ksoll
Researchers tested whether making weekly calls to teachers, students, and the village chief during an adult education program in Niger could increase teacher accountability and improve student learning. Both the education program and the weekly calls increased students’ scores in reading and math.