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People walking in narrow street with full of food stalls during daytime in India

Shaping the right incentives for firms to facilitate climate adaptation and improve environmental quality

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IPA and JPAL have supported numerous rigorous research studies exploring diverse questions related to climate change and sustainable development. In particular, since 2020, the King Climate Action Initiative at J-PAL has funded several randomized evaluations addressing these questions as well as...
A NEPI employee speaks with a respondent to determine their eligibility for the STYL program near Monrovia, Liberia

Preventing violence at scale: How practitioners are using evidence to adapt and scale CBT programs

A growing number of crime and violence prevention programs are drawing on psychosocial techniques to help shift people’s behaviors and attitudes, offering a potentially low-cost alternative to more traditional security sector strategies. In particular, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been...
Demi lunes in Niger

Scaling up the impact of rainwater harvesting techniques on small-scale farming in Niger

A key policy question in sub-Saharan Africa is how to reach yield potential for important crops without introducing further environmental degradation. Researchers partnered with Niger’s Ministry of the Environment and the Sahel Consulting Group to test barriers to the adoption of demi-lunes, a...
Child laughing with parents and holding a spoon

Fostering early child development to alleviate poverty in Guatemala

In Guatemala—one of the countries with the world's highest stunting rates and low early childhood education enrollment—several organizations and government institutions increasingly recognize the importance of improving early child development (ECD) and have accumulated relevant key lessons on ECD...
Children sit in circle in classroom

Shukuma in South African schools: Adapting evidence on cognitive behavioural therapy-inspired programmes to reduce violence

While evidence-based insights on the most effective ways to reduce crime and violence are scarce, rigorous evidence has shown that one family of interventions may be effective. A strong foundation of evidence suggests that interventions based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)...
A woman speaks to two other women.

Understanding the hidden factors influencing child marriage: Lessons from an impact evaluation

In an effort to reduce child marriage, the Indonesian government has implemented various programs utilizing video-based information campaigns to drive behavioral change. Despite the widespread use of video campaigns, there is not rigorous evidence on their effectiveness. In this post, the J-PAL...
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.
Sao Paulo, Brazil - Department of Justice

Expanding government partnerships in Brazil and Mexico for evidence-informed policy

In this blog post, J-PAL staff highlight some examples of our policy partnership experiences and announce a selection process to engage with new governments in Brazil and Mexico.