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

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Rigorous testing of social policies in Europe: What are we learning?

Researchers in the J-PAL network have conducted over 80 ongoing or completed randomized evaluations of social programs and policies across 20 European countries, with a particular focus on education and labor markets. J-PAL Europe has launched a summary of insights generated from this research.
A man and women look at their mobile phones outside a shop in Kenya.

DigiFI blog series: Deepening our understanding of the digital ID and payment research agenda

Governments across sub-Saharan Africa have been investing in new ways of digitizing financial services and identification systems to improve service delivery and governance and reduce leakages in public programs. Yet, we have limited rigorous evidence on the impacts of these reforms. To fill this...
A woman uses her phone

Can digital technology help create a more gender-equal society?

Despite considerable progress in achieving gender parity, inequalities faced by women remain a major global challenge. Can access to the right financial tools support women’s empowerment and result in better outcomes for not only women but also children, household welfare, and the wider community?
A man and woman look at their mobile phones

Leveraging the digital revolution: Can governments utilize big data to help decision-making?

Using evidence to make policy decisions can be a challenge when the information one needs is not credible, easily accessible, or interpretable. However, this difficulty can be overcome with the use of a high-frequency monitoring system. As governments and organizations move towards more digitized...
A woman pays mechanic through a mobile phone transfer

Overcoming under-subscription of welfare programs: Digital solutions to low take-up

Welfare programs are in developing countries can have low coverage as a result of low take-up. One barrier to take up may be the perceived lack of IDs. We explore if digital IDs and payments offer a possible solution.
Four women group around a counter at a small shop. One woman is performing a transaction on a digital card reader.

Meningkatkan kemampuan digital perempuan untuk inklusi keuangan

Agar pertumbuhan setara gender terus berlanjut, upaya inklusi keuangan di Indonesia harus memenuhi kebutuhan perempuan, terutama kelompok berpendapatan rendah dan kemampuan digital yang terbatas. Bagaimana wawasan dari pengalaman inklusi keuangan Indonesia dapat menginformasikan kebijakan untuk...
Four women group around a counter at a small shop. One woman is performing a transaction on a digital card reader.

Improving women’s digital literacy as an avenue for financial inclusion

To ensure Indonesia continues to experience gender-equitable growth, e fforts geared towards financial inclusion must take into consideration women’s needs, in particular among poor and digitally illiterate populations. How can insights from Indonesia’s past financial inclusion experiences inform...
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...