Health
In addition to supporting policymakers in applying evidence from randomized evaluations to their work, sector chairs and staff write policy insights that synthesize general lessons emerging from the research, condense results from evaluations in policy publications and evaluation summaries, and disseminate lessons to policy makers through targeted outreach. The sector also hosts initiatives such as the US Health Care Delivery Initiative to fund new research.
Project
Using Social Networks, Incentives, and Reminders to Boost Vaccine Demand
A package of interventions combining well-connected local immunization ambassadors, targeted reminders, and incentives to caregivers increased measles vaccination by approximately 55 percent in an at-scale study in Haryana, India. A version using only reminders and ambassadors was less expensive per...
Blog
Strengthening Covid-19 immunization demand: Lessons from existing evidence
J-PAL's Health sector co-chairs and staff discuss lessons from evidence for strengthening Covid-19 immunization demand.
Policy insight
The effect of nudges on health insurance take-up in the United States
Providing nudges to individuals eligible for health insurance benefits leads to small but notable increases in insurance take-up and plan switching. Low-cost, mass-outreach campaigns are particularly cost-effective compared to more-intensive interventions.
Policy insight
Improving health worker performance through pay-for-performance programs
Pay-for-performance incentive programs for health care workers reward providers based on measurable performance indicators. Providing performance-based pay in addition to base pay can help to improve health provider performance on well-chosen targeted indicators relative to providing only base pay. ...
Evaluation
The Impact of Mass Media and Family Planning Campaigns on Contraception Use in Burkina Faso
Researchers evaluated the impact impact of both general exposure to mass media and an intensive family planning campaign on contraception. Increasing exposure to general mass media reduced contraception use in this context. However, a high-quality family planning radio campaign offset the negative...
Evaluation
Randomized Evaluation of the Nurse Family Partnership in South Carolina
Researchers are evaluating the impact of an intensive nurse home visiting program for low-income mothers on pregnancy and birth outcomes, child health and development, and future life-courses for the family. The program had no effect on adverse birth outcomes; the other categories of outcomes are...
