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

People in a queue for a vaccination drive.

Strengthening social assistance and health response to COVID-19 in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the proportion of the population in low- and middle-income countries that require social assistance from governments to deal with economic and health vulnerabilities. Can social assistance schemes be better designed so that they reach those who need support the...
A woman wearing a mask weighs bread in a store

Mapping the impact of COVID-19 on firms in LMICs: A snapshot from ongoing surveys

To understand how the pandemic has altered the business landscape in LMICs, J-PAL’s Firms Sector is synthesizing results from surveys conducted by J-PAL affiliates and invited researchers on the impact of COVID-19 on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) around the world. This snapshot...
A person wearing a mask peddles a bike through an outdoor market.

Strengthening Indonesia’s social protection in the COVID-19 era: Strategy and lessons from evidence

Indonesia has massively expanded its social assistance programs to respond to the crisis. How can we strengthen existing institutions as a backbone to provide assistance to the crisis? As a commitment to supporting the Indonesian government in mitigating the economic impact of COVID-19, J-PAL...
A women wearing a face mask sits outside with two children, also wearing face masks.

Motivating new education research and scale for COVID-19 recovery

J-PAL is launching a one-time Education Research and Scale for COVID-19 Recovery innovation competition to fund randomized evaluations and scale-ups of strategies to improve access, quality, equity, and relevance of pre-primary, primary, and post-primary education in response to the ongoing COVID...
A woman wearing a mask helps an older woman to tie on her mask.

Monitoring the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia

The rapid spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia has wreaked havoc on Indonesia's economy. J-PAL SEA has been conducting a continuous online survey since April 2020 to provide real-time data on the impact of COVID-19 in Indonesia.
Commuters ride an escalator in London

Promoting upward mobility in partnership with state and local governments: The intersection of gender, race, health, and poverty alleviation

This blog post is part two of three in a series on how state and local governments in the United States can promote upward mobility in their communities. It is part of J-PAL North America’s work to develop a learning agenda that summarizes the core research priorities from state and local...
A smiling women speaks on a cell phone in front of an Mpesa stand.

Building back better: Catalyzing digital financial services for women across Africa

The G7 partnership on women's digital financial inclusion in Africa, of which J-PAL Africa’s Digital Identification and Finance Initiative is a participant, recently held its first annual event focused on Catalyzing Digital Financial Services for Women Across Africa: Supporting Recovery, Resilience...
Two women wearing uniforms talking to each other

#DayoftheGirlChild: Preventing the surge in teenage pregnancies due to COVID-19

In this blog, we highlight key interventions that policymakers and practitioners may wish to consider to urgently reduce child marriages and teenage pregnancies in light of the pandemic.