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

Two students look at a computer screen

Researching racial equity: Administrative data bias

In part six of J-PAL North America’s researching racial equity blog series, we identify sources of bias in administrative data and describe these within the educational context.
Cars and trucks drive on a highway in a city surrounded by smog

Evaluating effectiveness and equity in climate mitigation and transportation policy: A webinar recap

In December 2023, J-PAL North America’s Leveraging Evaluation and Evidence for Equitable Recovery (LEVER) program hosted a webinar in collaboration with Results for America highlighting how state and local jurisdictions can use randomized evaluation to accelerate climate action and tap into federal...
Children sitting in front of computers

J-PAL North America joins the Learning Engineering Virtual Institute to improve math outcomes for middle school students

In October 2023, J-PAL North America joined the Learning Engineering Virtual Institute to support organizations evaluating learning products that harness AI and machine learning to improve middle school math achievement.
Paul Niehaus speaking into a microphone

Rigorously evaluating cash transfer programs in the United States: Perspectives from other contexts

J-PAL affiliated researcher Paul Niehaus (UC San Diego) shares his perspective on studies of cash transfers in low- and middle-income countries and on how the United States can learn from other contexts.
From left to right: Kim Desmond, Mary Ann Bates, Elizabeth Linos, and Stan John in panel discussion

Three lessons from J-PAL North America’s ten year convening

Across a breadth of topics covered at J-PAL North America's ten year convening, speakers touched on common themes about how to generate evidence and inform policies effectively and equitably.
From left to right: Esther Duflo and Laura Arnold in conversation

Recapping a conversation between leaders in evidence-based policy making from J-PAL North America’s ten year convening

In this post, we highlight a conversation between Esther Duflo and Laura Arnold from J-PAL North America's ten year convening on building a culture of evidence-based policymaking.
White pills spilling from bottle

Encouraging rigorous, actionable research for opioid epidemic interventions in the United States

In this post, J-PAL North America reviews the ongoing studies supported by J-PAL North America on strategies to address the opioid epidemic and calls for further research in this pressing area.
Two doctors speaking with notepad

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

By
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...