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

Woman looking at produce at market

What the research says on improving women's economic agency and employment outcomes

In this blog, we summarize ongoing research and lessons from randomized evaluations funded by the Gender and Economic Agency (GEA) Initiative and the Jobs and Opportunity Initiative (JOI), which address open questions related to women’s work and economic empowerment.
Farmer in Kenya at work in field

Agricultural productivity and labor: Evidence and open questions for researchers

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This blog offers insights and proposes questions on how farmers in Kenya can best utilize household and hired labor, in addition to agricultural technologies.
Africa African Scholar Spotlight with Japheth Awiti Osotsi Stanley (left) & Carlos Guzman (right)

African Scholar Spotlight: Dr. Japheth Awiti Osotsi Stanley

In this post, Carlos Guzman, finance and operations manager at J-PAL Global, spoke with Dr. Japheth Awiti Osotsi Stanley, a lecturer in the School of Economics at the University of Nairobi. Japheth’s primary research interests relate to human capital, labor markets, health, and poverty alleviation.
Entrepreneurs exhibiting soft skills in a group meeting.

Soft skills training can improve employment outcomes and bolster entrepreneurship

How can entrepreneurs gain the skills to run a successful business? An emerging body of rigorous research demonstrates the importance of not only training in hard skills, but also soft skills, like communication and self-awareness.
Women wearing colorful clothes carry goods in baskets on their heads in a market in Accra, Ghana.

Gender norms and women's work: Reflecting on current evidence and policy opportunities

While the challenges women face in entering and remaining in the labor market are not new, they have worsened in the wake of the pandemic. One of the barriers to women’s economic empowerment and labor market participation is restrictive gender norms relating to the acceptability of women working...
A diverse group of co-workers mingle and work together in a common work space in Nairobi, Kenya

Policy and research to combat bias in the workplace

Rigorous research has shown that discriminatory practices are often embedded in the workplace. Many organizations have been developing tools and strategies to counter this type of bias for their employees. But how can we know which strategies are the most effective at combating bias in employment...
Four speakers are seated at a panel table at the front of a room.

Youth economic inclusion in Morocco: An evidence sharing seminar

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  • Alexandra Diggs
  • Fatine Guedira
The Morocco Employment Lab hosted an evidence sharing seminar on youth economic inclusion last month. At the seminar, Dr. Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, and Skills in Morocco, reaffirmed that a key priority of the government is to foster youth economic inclusion...
Two women are pictured surrounded by colorful fabric scraps. One women is sitting at the desk working with a grey sewing machine, while the other woman is sitting behind her cross legged on the floor folding a scrape of brown fabric.

Evidence on soft skills and women’s labor market outcomes

Worldwide, nearly 7 percent of employed people live below the extreme poverty line (US$1.90 purchasing power parity per day). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), about 147 million people were underemployed based on the number of hours they worked in 2019. Skills and vocational training...