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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 speaks to two other women.

Understanding the hidden factors influencing child marriage: Lessons from an impact evaluation

In an effort to reduce child marriage, the Indonesian government has implemented various programs utilizing video-based information campaigns to drive behavioral change. Despite the widespread use of video campaigns, there is not rigorous evidence on their effectiveness. In this post, the J-PAL...
A group of five women stand in front of a historical fort.

Affiliate Spotlight: Simone Schaner on lessons learned from advancing evidence-based policy

Simone Schaner is an associate professor (research) of economics at the University of Southern California and co-chair of the Inclusive Financial Innovation Initiative. Simone’s interests revolve around decision-making processes within households, especially related to financial access, health care...
Participants sitting at table at J-PAL SEA’s learning collaborative forum in Indonesia

Accelerating financial inclusion in Indonesia through innovations in digital financial services: Early learnings from exploratory and pilot studies

On 26 January 2023, IFII hosted a learning collaborative to share insights from exploratory and pilot studies to inform policy and decision-making in the digital financial inclusion space. Speakers and participants from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector had the...
Four people sit on a stage.

Understanding environmental challenges in Indonesia: The importance of collaboration, evidence, and context

To further support the Government of Indonesia's important work building climate resilience and a sustainable environment, J-PAL Southeast Asia held a conference on October 25, 2022, to bring together policymakers and practitioners in the field.
Three women are seated on a bench outside of a dwelling, one of whom holds a small child. Two women are seated next to the bench, peeling garlic over a large bowl.

Mengatasi hambatan perempuan dalam mengadopsi layanan keuangan digital di Indonesia

Layanan keuangan digital atau Digital Financial Services (DFS) semakin umum digunakan di kehidupan sehari-hari. Dengan demikian, penting untuk memastikan bahwa perempuan dan laki-laki bisa mendapatkan manfaat yang sama dari teknologi ini.
Three women are seated on a bench outside of a dwelling, one of whom holds a small child. Two women are seated next to the bench, peeling garlic over a large bowl.

Overcoming barriers to women’s adoption of digital financial services in Indonesia

In Indonesia, various efforts, such as digital financial education programs, expansion of QR code utilization to different types of merchants, and onboarding women-owned businesses to e-commerce platforms, have been and continue to be implemented to increase women’s adoption of digital financial...
A woman rides a tricycle to collect recyclables, which she negotiated with building administrators, neighbors, and hotel managers

Gender and Economic Agency Initiative increases funding to Latin America and South Asia with third funding round

As the world enters its third year with Covid-19, gender inequalities that existed before the pandemic continue to impact women around the world. Since its creation in 2020, the Gender and Economic Agency Initiative has been seeking to address gender inequalities related to women's labor force...
A male farmer standing in a field of crops looks down at a mobile phone that he is holding.

Evidence for digital and bundled services: Framing a research agenda for the Digital Agricultural Innovations and Services Initiative

As the reach of digital agricultural services has grown rapidly within the last few years, building an evidence base on how these services should be designed, implemented, and scaled to best align with the priorities of small-scale producers is an important and timely issue—and one that J-PAL's...