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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.

Identity in Charitable Giving in the United States

Katherine Milkman
A large charitable organization in the United States conducted a series of direct mail appeals for donations using different identity primes in 2009-2010. Researchers found that priming a potential donor’s identity as either a previous donor to charity or as a member of their local community...

Expanding Financial Access Via Credit Cards: Evidence from Mexico

Sara G. Castellanos
Diego J. Jiménez Hernández
Researchers leveraged data from a randomized evaluation conducted by a large bank in Mexico to test the impact of varying credit card contract terms on loan default, card cancellation rates, and bank revenue for first-time formal sector borrowers. Variations in the interest rate and minimum payment...

Educational Vouchers and Altruism in the United States

Robert Slonim
Researchers studied the impact of private school vouchers on the altruism, or selfless concern for others, of children and their parents. Voucher recipients demonstrated more altruism towards charitable organizations, but not towards their peers.

The Effects of Reciprocity in Voter Mobilization Calls on Voter Turnout in the United States

Albert Fang
Gregory A. Huber
Catlan Reardon
Researchers evaluated the role of reciprocity in increasing voter turnout through voter mobilization calls by varying whether an initial phone call included a plausible sign of good will by the campaign—an offer to follow up reminding them to vote.

Reducing Voter Registration Costs in France

Celine Braconnier
Jean-Yves Dormagen
Researchers evaluated the impact of making voter registration easier on voter participation by providing information about voter registration and home registration visits. Overall, the results suggest that information and visits can encourage greater participation, particularly among groups that...

The impacts of recruiting committee gender composition on women’s employment outcomes in Spain

Berta Esteve-Volart
If female managers are more likely to hire women, gender-balanced hiring committees may help promote parity in the long run. Using data from public examinations to enter the Spanish judiciary, researchers found that female candidates were less likely to succeed in the public examinations when...

The Impact of Subsidized Employment on Employment Outcomes in Michigan, United States

Elisabeth Gerber
H. Luke Shaefer
In an ongoing study, researchers are testing whether a subsidized employment program for low-income adults with less than a high school degree in Michigan can improve employment opportunities and earnings while reducing public benefit receipt.