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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.

Emergency Savings Accounts for Remittance Receivers in Mexico

Researchers partnered with CNS to investigate whether requiring clients to sign a non-binding agreement to save a predetermined amount of each remittance received could increase saving.

Effectively Targeting Anti-Poverty Programs in Indonesia

Vivi Alatas
Julia Tobias
Researchers in Indonesia compared the effectiveness of two methods of identifying the low-income households: a community method where villagers ranked households according to perceived wealth, and a proxy-means test which relied on measures of consumption and assets. The community methods of...

Text Message Reminders and Incentives to Save in Bolivia

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of sending text message reminders to clients holding programmed savings accounts.

Countering Covid-19 Misinformation through WhatsApp in Zimbabwe

Jeremy Bowles
Shelley Liu
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...

Improving Loan Repayment through Positive Incentives in Uganda

Ximena Cadena
Researchers evaluated the effect of (a) simple text message reminders and (b) financial incentives on borrowers' loan repayment. These methods had similarly positive effects, which suggests that the text message reminders may be a more cost-effective intervention. The reminders proved particularly...

A Multifaceted Approach to Increase Women’s Empowerment in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Researchers evaluated a multifaceted program for women experiencing extreme poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a region facing protracted conflict. The intervention had positive and enduring effects on women’s consumption, employment, finances, and empowerment, and small positive impacts...

Scaling Up Male Circumcision Programs: Demand Responses to Prices and Information

Jobiba Chinkhumba
An evaluation of a voucher program in urban Malawi found that providing information and reducing the price of circumcision only slightly increased take-up.

Can Lotteries Help Prevent HIV Among Youth? Evidence from Lesotho

Lucia Corno
Damien de Walque
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of lottery-based financial awards given to young individuals who tested STI-negative on their likelihood of contracting HIV and engaging in risky sexual behavior. The intervention provided frequent rewards at short intervals to bring...