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Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, and read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters. For media inquiries, please email us.

Evaluating an Exporting Scheme in Tunisia

Giacomo De Giorgi
Aminur Rahman
To promote export diversification, the Tunisian government is implementing a $22 million export matching-grant scheme, TASDIR+. TASDIR+ aims to increase exports and promote export diversification toward higher value-added exports and new markets. This study is using a randomized controlled trial to...

The Effect of Information on Politician Selection in Sierra Leone

Abou Bakarr Kamara
Researchers partnered with the two major political parties in Sierra Leone and conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of providing reliable information on potential candidates’ qualifications and sharing voter preferences with party officials during Parliamentary elections. More...

Consumer information to reduce counterfeit agricultural goods in Kenya

Eric Hsu
Anne Wacera Wambugu
In Kenya, researchers assessed the impact of training farmers to verify seed quality on their seed purchasing decisions and productivity, and the responses of seed markets to these changes. Trained farmers became better able to detect seed quality, more selective about where they bought seeds, and...

Giving effective information to fight COVID-19

Sergio Bautista
Martin Lajous
Researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to test the impact of public health messages on hand washing and compliance with government mandated guidelines in Mexico.

Providing Job Search Information to Improve Job Seekers' Employment and Earnings in Germany

Steffen Altmann
Florian Zimmermann
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of providing recently unemployed individuals informational brochures about job search strategies that motivated an active search on their labor market outcomes. Providing informational brochures improved the employment and earnings of...

The Impact of Mask Distribution and Promotion on Mask Uptake and Covid-19 in Bangladesh

Jason Abaluck
Jade Benjamin-Chung
Neeti Zaman Bintee
Emily Crawford
Muhammad Maqsud Hossain
Ellen Bates Jefferys
Alamgir Kabir
Laura H Kwong
Shadman Rahman
Shabib Raihan
Hasan Mahmud Reza
Ashley Styczynski
Peter J. Winch
Researchers partnered with Innovations for Poverty Action and Bangladeshi policymakers to test various strategies to increase mask-wearing and assess the impact of community mask wearing on SARS-CoV-2 infection rates. They found that a four-part intervention tripled mask usage and increased physical...

Incentivizing Physical Activity to Improve Mental Health During Covid-19 Disruptions in the United States

Osea Giuntella
Kelly Hyde
Silvia Saccardo
Researchers conducted a randomized intervention to measure the impact of financial incentives for reaching daily step goals on physical activity and depression risk during the Covid-19 pandemic, to better understand the association between physical activity and mental health. While program...

Improving Female Labor Force Participation through Flexible, Internet-mediated Gig Work in India

In India, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of a flexible, digital gig work opportunities on women’s labor supply, take uptake of employment opportunities, implications for worker productivity, and women’s interest in future outside-the-home work opportunities. as well...