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

An engineer inspecting HVAC on a roof.

Generating evidence to advance state and local decarbonization efforts in the United States

Peter Christensen, Scientific Advisor of the J-PAL North America Environment, Energy, and Climate Change (EECC) sector, discusses the importance of rigorously evaluating decarbonization programming now, outlines the project’s work to build and execute a coordinated research agenda, and invites...
A child and parent sitting opposite a man talking.

Nurturing the null: Leveraging unexpected null results to improve case management for housing services

By
Kimberly Dodds, homeless prevention program manager in King County, Washington, discusses her experience discovering that their program had null results and how they were used to improve the Youth Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative.
A Camden Coalition health practitioner leaving a house. Three individuals are standing around the house.

Nurturing the null: Navigating Evaluation Challenges in Community-Based Care Management

By
  • Aaron Truchil
  • Dawn Wiest
  • Kathleen Noonan
In this piece, originally published in American Society on Aging’s Generations, Aaron Truchil, Dawn Wiest, and Kathleen Noonan of the Camden Coalition discuss their experience finding and learning from null results.
Five headshots of the blog authors. Top row starting from the left: Damon Jones, Laura Feeney, Matt Notowidigdo. Bottom row starting from the left: Shanyce Campbell, Sule Alan.

Exploring the role of positionality in economics research

J-PAL North America convened a small group of researchers to ask how we might consider positionality within a quantitative research setting.
Sign on a storefront reading "We Accept EBT Food Stamp Benefits"

What evidence says about how to improve SNAP and reduce food insecurity

Research shows that these proven interventions can help increase eligible households’ access to SNAP.
A group photo of the North America DEI Working Group in front of the Boston skyline

J-PAL North America’s DEIWG: Lessons and Reflections from 2023-24

This is the first of an annual series of blog posts about J-PAL North America's DEI efforts.
A man presenting in front of a seated group of people

Beyond the Incubator: Building a community of practice

The Bay Area Evaluation community of practice is committed to supporting rigorously designed evaluations; implementing constituent-centered programs; sharing knowledge and stories; and informing housing policy in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
A street in Carlsbad, California, with a large sign reading "Carlsbad", cars waiting at a traffic light and a Victoria-style building in the background

Evolving towards a data-driven culture: The City of Carlsbad’s reflections from LEVER’s Training Sprint

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Rachel Maltz—Senior Program Manager of the City of Carlsbad California’s Innovation and Economic Development Department—shares her experience participating in LEVER's 2023 Training Sprint and how the program has helped evolve the city's approach to evidence and data usage in policymaking.