Evaluations

Policy Publications

Search our database of policy briefcases, bulletins, and evidence reviews. Briefcases summarize the results and policy recommendations from one randomized evaluation, while bulletins synthesize the broader policy lessons emerging from multiple evaluations on the same topic. Evidence reviews summarize an existing academic literature review, like a handbook chapter or white paper, for a policy audience.

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female worker operating industrial machine

Evidence in Labor Market Policies and Implications for Brazil: Job Training Programs

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November 30, 2022
Skills are important for accessing high-quality jobs and being more productive. However, in Brazil and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, many people neither receive adequate training nor develop skills that are demanded in the labor market. This publication—produced in co...
Community members attend a meeting promoting the use of women's help desks.

Improving policing in the midst of patriarchy

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Last Updated:
October 25, 2022
In India, creating designated women’s help desks (WHDs) in police stations increased the registration of crimes against women, particularly when staffed by female officers. Key results: The WHD program led to more registrations of cases of violence against women. Stations with WHDs registered 1.5...
A student sits at their desk applying hand sanitizer and wearing a face mask.

Ideas to improve educational outcomes during and after the Covid-19 outbreak

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Last Updated:
September 8, 2022
At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented 1.6 billion children and youth were out of school. In many contexts, children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds are at risk of being left further behind as schools reopen around the world. This evidence wrap-up shares ideas for...
Young African American youth paints a mural

The Promises of Summer Youth Employment Programs: Lessons from Randomized Evaluations

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March 24, 2022
Summer youth employment programs are an evidence-based option for improving the lives of young people in outcome areas as diverse as criminal justice involvement, education, and youth development. J-PAL North America’s SYEP evidence review presents findings from thirteen randomized evaluations of...
Students smiling looking at white board

Sectoral Employment Programs as a Path to Quality Jobs: Lessons from Randomized Evaluations

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Last Updated:
February 22, 2022
J-PAL North America’s Sectoral Employment Evidence Review summarizes an academic paper that examines four randomized evaluations of sectoral employment programs and describes the mechanisms behind their success.
Two women walking outside in Ohrid, North Macedonia

Empowering Women through Targeted Conditional Cash Transfers

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October 15, 2021
Targeting payments of a nationwide conditional cash transfer program to women increased household spending on food by empowering women and enhancing their decision-making power in the household.
Mixed Christian and Muslim amateur soccer league groups greet each other before a game.

Improving Tolerance through Soccer in Post-ISIS Iraq

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Last Updated:
September 29, 2021
  • Salma Mousa
Promoting positive and cooperative contact helped Iraqi Christians displaced by ISIS build tolerance toward Muslim peers after conflict, but these effects did not generalize to the broader Muslim community.
A young woman presents a lesson in a classroom.

Getting Parents Involved

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Last Updated:
July 20, 2021
Parental involvement meetings increased parents’ participation in their children’s education and reduced delinquent behavior and absenteeism in France. Positive effects were also seen in classmates whose parents did not participate in the program.
Two women sit face to face. The woman on the left holds a pedometer and is speaking to the woman on the right.

Stepping Up to Combat Urban Diabetes

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Last Updated:
July 7, 2021
Providing financial incentives to walk at least 10,000 steps per day led to increased exercise and moderate physical and mental health improvements among diabetics and prediabetics in India, with "threshold" contracts being especially effective for diabetics who are more impatient.