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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.

Research should guide spending for K-12 COVID relief funds

Kim Dadisman, senior policy and research manager at J-PAL, argues that J-PAL North America is one of the organizations doing the research-to-policy work that should be guiding public policy spending for COVID-19 relief funds towards mitigating educational fallout.

A Feast Isn’t Just About Food. It’s About Joy.

In an opinion's piece, J-PAL co-founder Abhijit Banerjee writes about the importance of getting in the "feasting mind-set" for the holidays and the history and stigma around food stamps.

Innovation Not Enough to Save the World

As the keynote speaker at the African Development Bank’s 2021 Kofi Annan Eminent Speaker Lecture Series., Esther Duflo, J-PAL co-founder and Nobel Laureate, discussed the urgent need for global cooperation in changing behaviors that contribute to climate change and inequitable vaccine distribution.

California Takes Next Major Step for Data System to Improve Supports for Students and Families

Mary Ann Bates, former executive director of J-PAL North America, was appointed as the first director of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System. While at J-PAL, Bates launched and co-chaired the J-PAL State and Local Innovation Initiative, which brings state and local governments and academic...

Experimentalists and Poverty Eradication

The article provides an overview of the previous work Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, J-PAL cofounders, and J-PAL affiliate Michael Kremer did that led them to earning the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

A 'Big Push' to Lift People out of Poverty

Abhijit Banerjee, J-PAL co-founder, discussed the findings of a paper he co-authored that was recently published in the American Economic Review. Esther Duflo, J-PAL co-founder, and Garima Sharma also contributed to the article, which was based on a randomized evaluation conducted in India to assess...

December 2021 North America Newsletter

J-PAL North America's December newsletter features five new state and local government partners, research results from a study on financial incentives for Covid-19 vaccine uptake, and a case study on the Office of Evaluation Sciences's work to institutionalize evidence use across federal government...

For Non-White Young People, a Letter of Recommendation can be Surprisingly Powerful

The findings and implications of J-PAL affiliates Sara Heller and Judd Kessler's randomized evaluation on how letters of recommendation help non-white youth are discussed.