J-PAL LAC at 15: Diversity in motion

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 titled “J-PAL LAC at 15.” The series highlights lessons from working with those who make our mission a reality: our donors, implementing partners, J-PAL academic network, and staff. In this fourth and installation, we discuss efforts to strengthen diversity and inclusion throughout our work. Read our other posts that spotlight how we work with donors to create a culture of evidence in LAC, collaborations with implementing partners to generate and use evidence to scale early childhood development programs, and exciting results from the Jobs and Opportunity Initiative Brazil.

Research and evidence can play an important role in addressing structural gaps and inequalities that disproportionately affect minority populations in existing systems and policies. By identifying and analyzing these issues, we can help inform policy actions with greater precision and impact.

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the most racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse regions in the world. Its long history of colonization, slavery, and migration has resulted in unique social and economic structures that continue to shape present-day inequalities. These structural barriers often intersect with socioeconomic disparities, presenting distinct challenges for historically marginalized populations such as women, black and indigenous peoples. Acknowledging and understanding this complexity is crucial when establishing inclusive and equitable solutions in the region.

At J-PAL LAC, we are aware that this systemic inequality is present in academia, especially in economics, and recognize the role we can play in helping reduce this historical gap. We are committed to engaging in self-reflection, learning, and dialogue to foster understanding and more holistic visions through our region's diversity, aiming to strengthen an equitable and inclusive culture where everyone is respected and heard. We believe that our differences can be leveraged to help us in asking difficult questions and to work on what is most relevant in addressing poverty through public policy.

To honor this commitment, we are implementing several pathways to strengthening the values of diversity and inclusion across J-PAL LAC. In research, we aim to facilitate matchmaking through a gender lens, to include more women in the field and to incorporate critical perspectives on gender into studies. We also promote interactions with local researchers, since these connections can enrich studies by bringing unique and valuable views on the economic phenomena being analyzed in specific regions. 

Fostering a more diverse research ecosystem requires intentional actions. With this in mind, in 2025 we are planning to structure and secure funding for a project aimed at identifying, preparing, and including young Black women in the field of economics. We are also engaging with master’s and doctoral students from various economics centers in the region, offering courses and lectures to share knowledge and bring these individuals closer to the field of impact evaluation. Furthermore, we are actively seeking funding to expand the support we provide to young and early-career researchers, with a focus on diversifying the network. 

We are also supporting diversity efforts within the MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP). To bring more Black people into the program, we are engaging with the Brazilian Black Network of Economists (REPP) and offering dedicated webinars at the beginning of each DEDP term. By including Portuguese and Spanish subtitles in the course's video classes, we also hope to lessen the language gap. 

We understand the importance of raising awareness among our stakeholders about diversity and inclusion. Drawing from the knowledge and lessons learned from other J-PAL offices around the world, we translated J-PAL's research resource, A Practical Guide to Measuring Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in Impact Evaluations, into Portuguese and Spanish, and continue to share this material with policymakers and donor organizations whenever relevant. By having more concrete ways to measure empowerment, we can ensure that we outline in a clear and accessible manner how we approach this topic and how we can inform public policies through a gender perspective. We also leverage this type of content in our courses and training, sharing knowledge with increasingly diverse and larger audiences.

Beyond our efforts in research and policy, we know how important it is to build a diverse team by improving our selection processes. Throughout the hiring journey, we strive to incorporate diversity lenses with different dimensions (geographic, gender, racial, socioeconomic) into our recruitment. Additionally, we are dedicated to cultivating an inclusive work environment where differences are embraced and valued, every individual feels recognized, and the entire team has the conditions necessary to reach their full potential.

We recognize that our work to reduce poverty by ensuring policies are based on scientific evidence is most effective when informed by diverse perspectives, including those of members of historically marginalized groups. As J-PAL LAC celebrates its 15th anniversary, we reaffirm this commitment and encourage our research network and partners across Latin America and the Caribbean to continue supporting us in these efforts.