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Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, and read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters. For media inquiries, please email us.

The Impact of Poverty Reduction on Child Health, Nutrition, and Sleep in the United States

Nathan Fox
Sarah Halpern-Meekin
Emma Hart
Alicia Kunin-Batson
Katherine Magnuson
Kimberly Noble
Jessica Sperber
Hiro Yoshikawa
To understand the causal impact of poverty reduction on children’s health, nutrition, sleep, and healthcare utilization, among other outcomes, researchers randomly assigned new mothers to receive an unconditional cash transfer of $333 (high-cash group) or $20 per month (low-cash group) in the Baby’s...

The Impact of a Financial Literacy Program in South Africa

Christian Salas Pauliac
Veronica Postal
Bilal Zia
Researchers investigated whether a financial literacy program improved financial knowledge and practices, and increased financial service use among low-income individuals in South Africa. Offering a training improved knowledge about budgeting, increased self-reported savings, and reduced loan...

The Impact of Disbursing Microfinance Loans via Mobile Money Accounts in Uganda

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test disbursing microfinance loans through digital accounts on business outcomes in Uganda. Women who received their loan through a digital account experienced higher business capital and profits compared to those who received their loans via cash.

The Impact of Packaging and Messaging on Adherence to Malaria Treatment in Uganda

Indrani Saran
Researchers evaluated the effects of different medication packaging and messaging on individuals’ adherence to malaria treatment in Uganda. They found that colorful, “high quality” packaging had no effect, while adding low-cost stickers with simple informative messaging to existing packaging...

Motivating Citizens to Seek Political Office in Pakistan

Researchers examined the impact of different types of motivation on the number and quality of candidates running for village councils in Pakistan, electoral outcomes, and elected candidates’ policy alignment with citizens’ interests. They found that portraying politics as socially beneficial–rather...

Early Childhood Development at Scale through Home Health Visits

Johannes Bos
Akib Khan
Researchers in Bangladesh conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of integrating light-touch ECD support into an existing national child health program on early childhood development outcomes. Children who received the ECD support showed improvements in cognitive, language, and physical...