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J-PAL J-PAL
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
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  • Evaluations
  • Research Resources
  • Policy Insights
  • Evidence to Policy
    • Pathways and Case Studies
    • The Evidence Effect
  • About

    The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,100 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.

    • Overview

      The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,100 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.

      • Affiliated Professors

        Our affiliated professors are based at over 130 universities and conduct randomized evaluations around the world to design, evaluate, and improve programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty. They set their own research agendas, raise funds to support their evaluations, and work with J-PAL staff on research, policy outreach, and training.

      • Invited Researchers
      • J-PAL Scholars
      • Board
        Our Board of Directors, which is composed of J-PAL affiliated professors and senior management, provides overall strategic guidance to J-PAL, our sector programs, and regional offices.
      • Leadership
      • Staff
    • Strengthening Our Work

      Our research, policy, and training work is fundamentally better when it is informed by a broad range of perspectives.

    • Code of Conduct
    • Initiatives
      J-PAL initiatives concentrate funding and other resources around priority topics for which rigorous policy-relevant research is urgently needed.
    • Events
      We host events around the world and online to share results and policy lessons from randomized evaluations, to build new partnerships between researchers and practitioners, and to train organizations on how to design and conduct randomized evaluations, and use evidence from impact evaluations.
    • Blog
      News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors.
    • News
      Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters, and connect with us for media inquiries.
    • Press Room
      Based at leading universities around the world, our experts are economists who use randomized evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. Connect with us for all media inquiries and we'll help you find the right person to shed insight on your story.
  • Offices
    J-PAL is based at MIT in Cambridge, MA and has seven regional offices at leading universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
    • Overview
      J-PAL is based at MIT in Cambridge, MA and has seven regional offices at leading universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
    • Global
      Our global office is based at the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It serves as the head office for our network of seven independent regional offices.
    • Africa
    • Europe
    • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • Middle East and North Africa
    • North America
    • South Asia
    • Southeast Asia
  • Sectors
    Led by affiliated professors, J-PAL sectors guide our research and policy work by conducting literature reviews; by managing research initiatives that promote the rigorous evaluation of innovative interventions by affiliates; and by summarizing findings and lessons from randomized evaluations and producing cost-effectiveness analyses to help inform relevant policy debates.
    • Overview
      Led by affiliated professors, J-PAL sectors guide our research and policy work by conducting literature reviews; by managing research initiatives that promote the rigorous evaluation of innovative interventions by affiliates; and by summarizing findings and lessons from randomized evaluations and producing cost-effectiveness analyses to help inform relevant policy debates.
    • Agriculture
      How can we encourage small farmers to adopt proven agricultural practices and improve their yields and profitability?
    • Crime, Violence, and Conflict
      What are the causes and consequences of crime, violence, and conflict and how can policy responses improve outcomes for those affected?
    • Education
      How can students receive high-quality schooling that will help them, their families, and their communities truly realize the promise of education?
    • Environment, Energy, and Climate Change
      How can we increase access to energy, reduce pollution, and mitigate and build resilience to climate change?
    • Finance
      How can financial products and services be more affordable, appropriate, and accessible to underserved households and businesses?
    • Firms
      How do policies affecting private sector firms impact productivity gaps between higher-income and lower-income countries? How do firms’ own policies impact economic growth and worker welfare?
    • Gender
      How can we reduce gender inequality and ensure that social programs are sensitive to existing gender dynamics?
    • Health
      How can we increase access to and delivery of quality health care services and effectively promote healthy behaviors?
    • Labor Markets
      How can we help people find and keep work, particularly young people entering the workforce?
    • Political Economy and Governance
      What are the causes and consequences of poor governance and how can policy improve public service delivery?
    • Social Protection
      How can we identify effective policies and programs in low- and middle-income countries that provide financial assistance to low-income families, insuring against shocks and breaking poverty traps?
Displaying 1 - 15 of 1303
large truck crash on road in Kenya
Evaluation

Encouraging Behavioral Change to Improve Road Safety in Kenya

In Kenya, researchers introduced a messaging campaign on matatus (local buses) to encourage individuals to speak up against reckless driving and reduce road accidents rates. Placing these stickers in the passenger area of matatus decreased insurance claims rates, average speed, and number of road accidents per year.
Police in India.
Evaluation

Street Police Patrolling Effects To Reduce Crime Against Women in Public Spaces in India

In partnership with the Hyderabad City Police (HCP), researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of a police patrolling program aimed at improving women’s safety on the frequency of sexual harassment and women’s freedom to move around in public spaces. The presence of uniformed officers in public spaces reduced instances of severe forms of sexual harassment and led to fewer women relocating from the patrolled areas.
Female teacher standing in front of young students using her hands to describe a concept
Evaluation

Combining In-School and Out-of-School Programs to Improve Learning in India

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of the combination of an in-school learning program with an out-of-school learning program on primary school math and reading levels. The combination of the two programs led to a significant increase in children's test scores in both math and language.
Image of students taking an exam at their desks in Bucharest, Romania.
Evaluation

The Role of Information and Preferences in School Choices in Romania

In this randomized evaluation in Romania, researchers compared the roles of preferences and information in households’ decision-making, with regard to high school selection. Results suggest that households provided with information on school quality tend to choose schools that have a greater academic impact on their children. However, households’ preferences for other school attributes also factor into their decision-making, including peer quality, location, and, most importantly, curriculum.
Close up, business woman using mobile smart phone
Evaluation

The Effect of Text Message Reminders on Failure to Appear in Court in the Rural United States

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of text message reminders on rates of failure to appear in court (FTA) among people who are unhoused and housed in rural Shasta County, California. The reminders reduced FTA rates for the housed population, but did not impact FTA rates for people experiencing homelessness.
Children and teachers engaging the pedagogical activities
Evaluation

Nurturing Curiosity to Enhance Learning in Turkey

In Turkey, researchers evaluated the impact of a new pedagogical approach aimed at cultivating primary school students’ curiosity, particularly in science, to improve learning outcomes. Students whose teachers adopted the approach displayed greater curiosity, ability to retain knowledge, and science test scores, with effects persisting into middle school years.
Two firm-worker women in blue sweaters and hats work on project at training facility
Evaluation

The Effect of Matching on Worker Skills versus Preferences on Firm-Worker Matches in South Africa

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to improve the quality of job matches in South Africa. They matched applicants to entry-level vacancies using different types of information: workers’ preferences for job types; communication and socio-emotional skills; or grades and work experience.
A Bangladeshi bureaucrat uses the digital land record system
Evaluation

The Effect of Bureaucrat Performance Scorecards on Service Delivery and Bribes in Bangladesh

Researchers evaluated the impact of performance scorecards on the speed of delivery and the payment of bribes. Results show that the intervention increased on-time service delivery, but did not decrease bribe payments on average; bribes among high-performers increased.
Screenshot of a video where a woman addresses the camera from her home
Evaluation

Connecting Egyptian Women to Gender-Based Violence Resources via Social Media during Covid-19

Researchers partnered with the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights to evaluate the effect of educational social media and TV campaigns on women’s attitudes and behaviors around responding to GBV and IPV. The social media campaign increased women’s knowledge and use of resources, but had no impact on their underlying attitudes towards gender equality or gender-based violence.
Three school children sitting at a table looking at one tablet.
Evaluation

Improving Student Learning through Classroom Technology Adoption in Pakistan

Researchers partnered with the Government of Pakistan to conduct two parallel randomized evaluations to test the impact of providing supplemental teaching materials on the quality of student learning and teachers’ effectiveness. Overall, the eLearn Classroom intervention improved student achievement and students’ attendance for grade 8 students. Conversely, providing grade 6 students with individual eLearn Tablets worsened their test scores.
A Community Health Worker teaches nutrition to members of local households
Evaluation

Advertising Higher Earnings during Recruitment Processes for Community Service Providers in Uganda

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of expected earnings on candidates’ perception of a community health worker position in Uganda, and on the resulting size and composition of the applicant pool. Fewer socially motivated participants applied when advertised wages were particularly high. Although higher wages increased the total number of applicants and workers hired, workers attracted by the potential for higher earnings also had lower performance and retention.
Woman in a small shop
Evaluation

Gazelles in Ghana: Identifying High-Growth Firms Through Panel Judges or Survey Instruments

Researchers conducted a business plan competition to test whether panel judges or questionnaires answered by firm owners could more accurately identify the fastest growing firms in Ghana. Both survey assessments and judging of business plans through panels selected firms with the potential for faster growth.
A man carrying bags
Evaluation

The Impact of Employment and Cash Transfers on Psychosocial Wellbeing in Bangladesh

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of employment on refugee psychosocial well-being in Bangladesh. The study found that employment generated significant psychosocial value beyond that from cash transfers alone.
A man's hand types on WhatsApp on a mobile phone.
Evaluation

Countering Covid-19 Misinformation through WhatsApp in Zimbabwe

In this randomized evaluation in Zimbabwe, researchers studied how social media messages targeting misinformation can affect people’s beliefs about and responses toward Covid-19. The study found that these messages increased participants’ knowledge of Covid-19 information by 7 percentage points and reduced potentially harmful behavior, or noncompliance with lockdown guidelines, by 30 percentage points.
Two women sell fruits on a sidewalk in Cartagena, Colombia
Evaluation

Impacts of Flexible Loans on Borrower Behavior and Microenterprise Outcomes in Colombia

Researchers evaluated the impact of a flexible microloan product on new clients' repayment behavior, business outcomes, and client satisfaction. The results showed that the flexible loan led to some shifts in investment behavior but had no average impact on revenue or profits and led to higher default.

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J-PAL

J-PAL

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