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.

Displaying 1-9 of 11
Cover of SJY Playbook

Going the Last Mile: Lifting ultra-poor households out of extreme poverty

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Last Updated:
October 27, 2023
The Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (known as JEEViKA), NGO Bandhan-Konnagar, and J-PAL South Asia launched the Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana: Ending Ultra Poverty at Scale, a playbook developed for government and civil society organizations working towards ending extreme poverty. The...
A man works at a spice stall

Winners and Losers: The Benefits and Dangers of Credit

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Last Updated:
August 31, 2023
Providing large loans to small businesses in Egypt had no impact on profits for the average borrower, but entrepreneurs predicted in advance to be top performers saw much higher returns than their peers.
Three African women sit together and smile at the photographer.

Commitments to Save

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Last Updated:
May 25, 2021
Commitment savings products have increased savings and investments in low- and middle-income settings. Providers can improve the impacts of commitment savings products by including design features that meet the needs of the local population.
Woman selling bread at a market. Myriam B | Shutterstock

Inspiring Success: Personalized Trainings for Microenterprises

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Last Updated:
August 1, 2019
An randomized evaluation found that adding sessions with role models and individualized assistance to intensive training courses for microentrepreneurs increased their household incomes, mainly through improved business practices and performances

Make It Rain

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Last Updated:
February 9, 2016
Weather index insurance protects farmers against losses from extreme weather and facilitates investment in their farms, but randomized evaluations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have shown low demand for these products at market prices, suggesting the need for alternative approaches.
A group of people, each with a goat on a rope leash.

Building Stable Livelihoods for the Ultra-poor

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Last Updated:
September 1, 2015
A multifaceted livelihood program that provided ultra-poor households with a productive asset, training, regular coaching, access to savings, and consumption support led to large and lasting impacts on their standard of living across a diverse set of contexts and implementing partners.
Women and children sell product in an open market in the Philippines.

Where Credit is Due

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May 26, 2015
Seven randomized evaluations from around the world show that microcredit does not have a transformative impact on poverty, but it can give low-income households more freedom in optimizing the ways they make money, consume, and invest.

Innovation, Inclusion and Trust: The Role of Non-Profit Organizations in Microfinance

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January 22, 2014
If microcredit, as traditionally implemented, is being done just as well by for-profits, where to for non-profits? Dean Karlan lays out three important roles that non-profits can play in the financial inclusion arena.

Latest Findings from Randomized Evaluations of Microfinance

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Last Updated:
December 1, 2011
Recent evidence from randomized studies of microfinance indicate that poor people face various limits in their ability to capitalize on financial opportunities. Product design matters, and inexpensive design tweaks may help the poor to benefit more from financial products and services.