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News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly email updates.

A woman uses a chlorine water treatment product to treat drinking water at home in the village of Kawejah, Grand Cape Mount county, Liberia on Friday April 6, 2012.

Scaling safe water access: J-PAL Africa's new Portfolio

J-PAL Africa has launched a new policy portfolio, Scaling Access to Safe Water in Africa (SASWA), designed to support governments in integrating and scaling water treatment programs.
 Enumerator administering a child verification survey

Researcher Spotlight: Ariel Zucker on applying economic theory to real-world solutions

In this episode of the Researcher Spotlight Series, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Ariel Zucker, assistant professor of economics at UC Santa Cruz. Ariel discusses her journey from an early interest in global health disparities to becoming a development economist specializing in experimental...
Abhijit Banerjee delivers a keynote address at J-PAL Middle East and North Africa's five year anniversary event.

Building a culture of evidence-informed decisions in the Middle East and North Africa: Celebrating five years of J-PAL MENA

J-PAL Middle East and North Africa was established in 2020 in response to growing recognition of the need to embed evidence into decision-making across the region. Our goal was not simply to conduct randomized evaluations, but to work hand-in-hand with governments and development practitioners to...
Workers in a ptivate garment factory

The Evidence Effect: What we’ve learned working with the private sector for inclusive growth

The private sector is a fundamental force for driving global prosperity. For corporations and investors, there’s enormous opportunity in low- and middle-income countries’ growing markets and talent. What’s less clear is how to partner most effectively for maximum impact: How can multinationals...
Public officials from OEFA. Credit: María Paz Monge | J-PAL LAC.

J-PAL LAC government partnerships: Pathways to evidence

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), government-led social programs hold the highest potential to drive meaningful change. The J-PAL LAC office partners with governments across the region, working to expand the use of rigorous evidence in shaping public policy. Along the way, we’ve gathered...
Three people look at computers

MIT alumni Rotarians endow fellowship fund to support MIT’s DEDP master’s students

Expanding access to high-quality education—especially for learners with limited access, resources, or means—is a core goal of the Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) program. These efforts are especially meaningful when they are led by members of the MIT community.
Student in a classroom

Researcher Spotlight: Shobhini Mukerji on her journey into development economics

In this episode of The Evidence Effect, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director of J-PAL South Asia. From her transformative summer internship with education nonprofit Pratham to becoming a principal investigator on groundbreaking research, Shobhini shares her journey...
Child writing in his notebook at school

Setting an early foundation for children’s learning: using insights from cost-effectiveness analysis to inform decisions

Ensuring children have strong basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics – together known as foundational literacy and numeracy – is considered critical for their future academic success and later life outcomes. While research has generated insights on what works for improving literacy and...