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

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The role of health economics in addressing poverty and building better policy

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J-PAL staff sat down with Matt Notowidigdo (University of Chicago), Co-Scientific Director of J-PAL North America, and Tal Gross (Boston University) to examine their new book's approach to health economics and the impact of randomized evaluations on their understanding of the health care system...
Four children with backpacks on, walking away from camera

How anticipating benefit loss shapes family choices

In this post, J-PAL staff sit down with Manasi and Rebecca to discuss the results from their randomized evaluation on the effects of anticipating social safety net benefits on family choices.
Headshot of Amy Finkelstein, wearing black shirt, in front of wooden door

Affiliate spotlight: An interview with Amy Finkelstein on how randomized evaluations provide key insights for her new book on health insurance reform

Amy Finkelstein, co-scientific director of J-PAL North America, co-authored the book We’ve Got You Covered with Liran Einav, which examines the health care system in the United States and proposes how it should be redesigned. In this post, J-PAL staff sat down with Amy to discuss how randomized...
Doctor speaking to parent and child

Understanding the role and importance of spillover effects

A new J-PAL evidence wrap-up highlights three randomized evaluations that consider the spillover effects of three health care interventions. In this post, we discuss what spillover effects are, a summary of the highlighted studies highlighted, and the benefits to policymakers in considering...
From left to right: Hannah Reuter, Fatima Cody Stanford, Mark Clapp, Jessica Cohen

Building research partnerships between clinicians and economists: A recap from a 2023 ASHEcon panel

At the American Association of Health Economists 2023 Annual Conference (ASHEcon), J-PAL North America staff organized a roundtable discussion on building research partnerships between clinicians and economists. This panel featured researchers from two randomized evaluations that brought together...
Person looking at computer screen with "Health Care Evaluation Toolkit" landing page

Introducing the Health Care Evaluation Toolkit: Resources for randomized evaluations in health care

J-PAL North America released a new Health Care Evaluation Toolkit that provides guidance and advice for social scientists conducting randomized evaluations of health care delivery interventions, within health systems, or using health care data, leveraging case studies from the United States.

Improving mental health in low- and middle-income settings: Key findings from rigorous research

Mental health conditions are prevalent worldwide, especially among people living in poverty. In 2017, an estimated 10.7 percent of the global population had at least one mental health disorder. Meanwhile, access to services remains low even for those who seek care. Evidence on how to close this...
Photo of meeting with people facing projection of agenda

At Yale, scholars and policymakers unite to improve state Medicaid program

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  • Mike Cummings
On a recent morning, administrators of Connecticut’s Medicaid program visited Yale’s Tobin Center for Economic Policy for a brainstorming session. The meeting marked the beginning of a unique partnership between the State of Connecticut, the Tobin Center, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action...