Search our database of 1,200+ summaries of randomized evaluations conducted by our affiliates in 99 countries. To browse key policy recommendations from a subset of these evaluations, visit the Policy Publications tab above.

Displaying 17-24 of 323
Executives practice meditation during work.

The Impact of Encouragement and Assistance on Benefits Take-Up in the United States

Damon Jones
Most eligible workers who receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a cash transfer program geared toward low-income workers with dependents, receive the credit as an annual lump sum payment, even though they are eligible to receive the credit in the form of monthly disbursements throughout the...
Cash purchases being used to purchase food from open market in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Comparing Cash and Voucher Transfers in a Humanitarian Context: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Jenny Aker
Researchers tested the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an unconditional cash transfer and a voucher program on household consumption and well-being in a camp for internally displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both programs increased food security and asset...
Male micro-entrepreneur selling produce on street in India

The Impact of Debt Relief in India and the Philippines

Dean Karlan
Sendhil Mullainathan
Benjamin Roth
Researchers evaluated whether offering market vendors cash grants to pay off existing debt and financial training influenced future borrowing behavior. While market vendors were less likely to borrow and borrowed in smaller amounts in the short-term, most returned to debt within six weeks.
Women small business owner managing store in Bolivia

Using Alarm Boxes to Combine Commitment and Reminders for Savings in Bolivia

Dean Karlan
Margaret McConnell
Jonathan Zinman
In Bolivia, researchers investigated whether alarm boxes, designed to both remind people to save and to keep their savings safe, could have an effect on savings rates among microfinance clients.
Outdoor view of payday store with yellow and red sign in the United States.

Understanding Borrowers' Decisions: Payday Loans in the United States

Hunt Allcott
Jonathan Zinman
Researchers partnered with a large payday lender in Indiana to conduct an evaluation to better understand consumers’ decision-making. The results suggest that average borrowers can anticipate their probability of taking loans in the future. However, people focus too much on the present when making...
Custodial staff standing

Labeled Remittances from Workers to Improve Household Allocation Compliance in the Philippines

Dean Yang
Researchers are evaluating the impact of providing the option of labeled remittances to Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates on the amount of remittances sent and what those remittances are used for by their recipients.
Female-owned business makes fresh fruit juice in Sri Lanka

The Impact of Training and Cash Grants on Female-Owned Businesses in Sri Lanka

Suresh de Mel
Christopher Woodruff
Researchers evaluated the impact of a business training intervention, alone and combined with a cash grant, on the income and other business outcomes for self-employed women in Sri Lanka. Researchers found that business training alone was not sufficient to generate business growth, but when combined...
Female secondary school student focuses on education in El Salvador.

Channeling Remittances to Education in El Salvador

Kate Ambler
Diego Aycinena
Dean Yang
Researchers found that subsidizing Salvadoran migrants’ remittances for education increased spending on education and attendance at private schools for their female relatives in El Salvador.