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

Paraguayan saleswoman in front of clothing market

Evidence-informed strategies to support female microentrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean

One in three female workers in Latin America and the Caribbean are self-employed, but female microentrepreneurs encounter numerous unique barriers to running successful businesses that can vary across countries. A growing body of literature suggests that alternative training programs may be more...
Two smiling women exchange a roll of fabric inside a textile factory in Zimbabwe.

Jobs and Opportunity Initiative commits first round of funds for research on entrepreneurship and enterprise development

Covid-19 has had a dramatic and lasting impact on the micro, small, and medium enterprise landscape worldwide, driving many to shut down or radically reshape the way they do business. The consequences of this shift extend beyond the firm to the livelihoods of its workers and their families...
A man rides a bicycle wearing a delivery backpack and a mask

Learn how to evaluate your program with JOI Brazil

JOI Brazil’s social incubation process aims to support organizations in developing an evaluation proposal that can be funded through JOI.
An Indian woman sits at a sewing machine, stitching a purse

Gender and Economic Agency Initiative funds nineteen new research projects on women’s work

GEA has completed its second full funding round, supporting nineteen research teams to produce evidence that addresses critical knowledge gaps on what works to support women’s economic agency. Read about the funded projects.
Training staff posing for a group photo in Cairo, Egypt

Catalyzing the use of evidence for effective business training and finance in Egypt

Alison Fahey and Lobna Kassim reflect on the successful partnership between J-PAL MENA at AUC and the MSME Development Agency to create a culture of evidence-based program and policy design.
Three people sit facing each other at a table.

Documenting systemic patterns of employment discrimination in the United States

By
Researchers recently released results from a J-PAL North America funded study that documents systemic patterns of employment discrimination within large companies in the United States. In an interview with J-PAL staff, the research team shares reflections on their study, including how the randomized...
A group of six people sit around a table with laptops, looking forward

Better policies to support entrepreneurs and create more jobs: A new focus on adaptation and scale

J-PAL’s Jobs and Opportunity Initiative (JOI) is expanding its scope to test promising strategies to help meet the jobs challenge through entrepreneurship and firm growth.
A woman sitting at a sewing desk smiles at the camera while cutting cloth with scissors

Growing the research agenda on women’s work

Through the Gender and Economic Agency Initiative (GEA), J-PAL is catalyzing a new body of innovative research on women’s work to support policymakers in implementing policies to support working women during and after the pandemic. GEA is now expanding our research portfolio with support from the...