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News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly email updates.

A woman at a table filling out paperwork.

Nurturing the null: Approaching research design with all possibilities in mind

In this blog post, Manasi Deshpande and Rebecca Dizon-Ross shared how they designed a multi-step evaluation to determine if their null findings were due to a failure of their research design or a flaw in their Theory of Change.
Headshot of Mohammed

African Scholar Spotlight: Mohammed Tanko

This post is part of our ongoing series showcasing the work and perspectives of economists from the African continent who are leading randomized evaluations. Through our African Scholars Program, we hope to help create more opportunities for African researchers to advance the research agenda on the...
An engineer inspecting HVAC on a roof.

Generating evidence to advance state and local decarbonization efforts in the United States

Peter Christensen, Scientific Advisor of the J-PAL North America Environment, Energy, and Climate Change (EECC) sector, discusses the importance of rigorously evaluating decarbonization programming now, outlines the project’s work to build and execute a coordinated research agenda, and invites...
Presentation of the results of the first study funded by JOI Brazil, Stigma and Labor Supply.

J-PAL LAC at 15: Strengthening labor market policies in Brazil

To celebrate fifteen years of J-PAL’s Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) office, we launched a new blog series titled “J-PAL LAC at 15.” In this third installment, we feature the Jobs and Opportunity Initiative Brazil (JOI Brazil), an important step in our commitment to addressing Brazil’s...
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Nurturing the null: Leveraging unexpected null results to improve case management for housing services

By
Kimberly Dodds, homeless prevention program manager in King County, Washington, discusses her experience discovering that their program had null results and how they were used to improve the Youth Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative.
A Camden Coalition health practitioner leaving a house. Three individuals are standing around the house.

Nurturing the null: Navigating Evaluation Challenges in Community-Based Care Management

By
  • Aaron Truchil
  • Dawn Wiest
  • Kathleen Noonan
In this piece, originally published in American Society on Aging’s Generations, Aaron Truchil, Dawn Wiest, and Kathleen Noonan of the Camden Coalition discuss their experience finding and learning from null results.
Two individuals looking at a chalk board with formulas and notes written on it.

Nurturing the null: Preparing for null results to bolster evidence use

Null results—finding no impact—can be particularly difficult for researchers, policymakers, and service providers to act on. In this blog post, we share three key considerations for successfully designing studies and acting on null results.
Three people stand around a white board and point to it.

J-PAL LAC at 15: Expanding ECD programs through evidence in the region

As we mark fifteen years of J-PAL’s Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) office, we are recapping key milestones and sharing what we have learned in a new blog series. The series highlights lessons from working with those who make our mission a reality: our donors, implementing partners, J-PAL...