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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.

Study: Covid-19 communications featuring racially diverse physicians can improve health outcomes for communities of color

In a new study, Esther Duflo, Ben Olken, Abhijit Banerjee, and Marcella Alsan find that improved public health messaging to Black, Latinx, and other communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic can increase Covid-19 knowledge and information-seeking in the United States. The study...

Everyone's talking about a national tutoring corps; here's what we need to know to do it well

Three policy considerations are posed regarding the use of tutoring to address inequities in the education system that have been exacerbated by Covid-19.

Growth Is Not Enough

J-PAL Global Executive Director Iqbal Dhaliwal and Senior Policy Associate Samantha Friedlander discuss why economic growth is necessary but not sufficient to solve the problems of those living in poverty around the world.

The Pandemic Pushed This Farmer Into Deep Poverty. Then Something Amazing Happened

NPR
NPR features a project funded by J-PAL's Innovation in Government Initiative - an ambitious cash transfer program to provide immediate cash support to poor households that are impacted by Covid-19. The project by Joshua Blumenstock, Christopher Udry, and Dean Karlan assists the Togo government's...

Closing the COVID Trust Deficit

Pascaline Dupas, Joseph Doyle, and Karen Macours write about the emerging body of evidence that holds important lessons for overcoming Covid-19 information constraints, combating misinformation, and building trust in health systems. These insights may also help to improve delivery and increase...

February 2021 Newsletter

In the February 2021 Newsletter, we highlight the effect of Covid-19 on women's work, the King Climate Action Initiative's inaugural funding competition, and the potential of Computer-Assisted Learning technology to rebuild students’ foundational skills after the pandemic.

How Poverty Makes Workers Less Productive

NPR
NPR featured a randomized evaluation by J-PAL affiliates on whether financial concerns make workers less productive. The evaluation was conducted over a couple weeks at a factory in Odisha, India. The workers at the factory make disposable plates used at local eateries. When the researchers...

A pandemic, an infodemic, and the fear of vaccination

Shreya Chaturvedi from J-PAL South Asia writes about government preparation for Covid-19 vaccination drives. While governments prepare for Covid-19 vaccination drives, sharing information strategically can promote behavioral changes and influence public opinion. In addition to traditional messaging...