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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.

Providing Primary Education for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Guinea Bissau

Peter Boone
Ila Fazzio
Jenny Hsieh
Robin Lumsdaine
Researchers evaluated the impact of creating schools offering four years of primary education, in lieu of the government, on early grade reading and math skills in rural Guinea Bissau. The intervention led to substantial improvements in literacy and numeracy.

The Impact of Mass Media and Family Planning Campaigns on Contraception Use in Burkina Faso

Researchers evaluated the impact impact of both general exposure to mass media and an intensive family planning campaign on contraception. Increasing exposure to general mass media reduced contraception use in this context. However, a high-quality family planning radio campaign offset the negative...

Adoption of Commitment Savings Accounts Among Garment Workers in Bangladesh

Martin Kanz
Leora Klapper
Researchers are evaluating the demand for a commitment savings product among garment workers and evaluating whether employer influence and expected feedback to employers impacts sign-up decisions.

The Effect of Free Contraception on Fertility in Burkina Faso

Adriana Lleras-Muney
Pauline Rossi
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation among households in rural Burkina Faso to examine whether countries in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing a slower shift in fertility levels due to lack of access to contraception or households wanting large families. Providing married women with access...

Information to Increase Fuel Efficient Car Purchases in the United States

Researchers studied the impact of providing information about fuel costs on consumers’ car purchases. Providing information about fuel costs had no effect on the fuel efficiency of the vehicles consumers chose to buy.

The Impact of Cash Transfers and Psychotherapy on Well-being in Kenya

Robert Mudida
Jeremy Shapiro
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of unconditional cash transfers, a psychotherapy program, and their combination on psychological and economic well-being in rural Kenya.

The Impact of Cash Transfers on Delivery Planning and Maternal Care Quality in Kenya

Ginger Golub
Margaret E Kruk
Katherine Lofgren
George N. Omondi
Claire Rothschild
Researchers evaluated whether cash transfers and decision-making nudges could help low-income pregnant women in Nairobi, Kenya deliver where they wanted and in a high-quality facility. They found that cash transfers, conditioned on precommitment to a delivery facility, led to more effective birth...

Eliminating Behavioral Barriers to Saving through a Tablet App for the Base of the Pyramid in Paraguay

Viviane Azevedo
Liliana Olarte
Researchers are partnering with a financial institution in Paraguay to evaluate the impact of a range of tablet-based applications, which remind people to save and help them make savings goals, on savings behavior of low-income individuals.