The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,000 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,000 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.
Our affiliated professors are based at over 120 universities and conduct randomized evaluations around the world to design, evaluate, and improve programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty. They set their own research agendas, raise funds to support their evaluations, and work with J-PAL staff on research, policy outreach, and training.
Our Board of Directors, which is composed of J-PAL affiliated professors and senior management, provides overall strategic guidance to J-PAL, our sector programs, and regional offices.
J-PAL recognizes that there is a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of economics and in our field of work. Read about what actions we are taking to address this.
We host events around the world and online to share results and policy lessons from randomized evaluations, to build new partnerships between researchers and practitioners, and to train organizations on how to design and conduct randomized evaluations, and use evidence from impact evaluations.
Browse news articles about J-PAL and our affiliated professors, read our press releases and monthly global and research newsletters, and connect with us for media inquiries.
Based at leading universities around the world, our experts are economists who use randomized evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. Connect with us for all media inquiries and we'll help you find the right person to shed insight on your story.
J-PAL is based at MIT in Cambridge, MA and has seven regional offices at leading universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
J-PAL is based at MIT in Cambridge, MA and has seven regional offices at leading universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Our global office is based at the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It serves as the head office for our network of seven independent regional offices.
Led by affiliated professors, J-PAL sectors guide our research and policy work by conducting literature reviews; by managing research initiatives that promote the rigorous evaluation of innovative interventions by affiliates; and by summarizing findings and lessons from randomized evaluations and producing cost-effectiveness analyses to help inform relevant policy debates.
Led by affiliated professors, J-PAL sectors guide our research and policy work by conducting literature reviews; by managing research initiatives that promote the rigorous evaluation of innovative interventions by affiliates; and by summarizing findings and lessons from randomized evaluations and producing cost-effectiveness analyses to help inform relevant policy debates.
How do policies affecting private sector firms impact productivity gaps between higher-income and lower-income countries? How do firms’ own policies impact economic growth and worker welfare?
How can we identify effective policies and programs in low- and middle-income countries that provide financial assistance to low-income families, insuring against shocks and breaking poverty traps?
With the rise of technological development, more Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have begun to leverage the benefits that technology offers to transform their process digitally. Other than streamlining organizational operation, there is opportunity for...
On a global scale, migrant remittances are one of the largest international financial flows to developing countries with growing trends in total remittance growth. Consequently, understanding how remittances are sent and used, and identifying the challenges in...
Our project aims to strengthen local state capabilities in servicing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and to evaluate impacts on local MSME outcomes, including the adoption of Digital Financial Services (DFS) and e-commerce. We will conduct surveys...
As the world’s largest Muslim country, Indonesia faces strong demand among domestic consumers to ensure the halalness of food products consumed. At the same time, there is rising demand from buyers for food suppliers to register for such food certification to...
While the rapid expansion of branchless banking agents has made it possible for millions of Indonesians to have access to financial services in their own locations or villages, this implies an increase in competition faced by agents in a market that is often...
The pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility of digitizing group loans for ultra-micro entrepreneurs. This project was conducted in collaboration with Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB) Venture , a Microfinance Institution (MFI), and OVO, an E-wallet...
The fast expansion of branchless banking has provided millions of Indonesians with access to financial services in their own villages. Branchless banking is likely to develop as regulations mature and market incentives improve, resulting in increased agent...
Kartu Prakerja is a novel Government of Indonesia program that combines vocational training with cash transfers, using a web-based platform and digital G2P (government-to-person) payments, to develop work skills, promote employment, sustain families, and...
Evaluations of microfinance interventions show significant heterogeneity of impact depending on program design and key characteristics of clients. With the emerging digital financial services (DFS) sector in Indonesia, there is an opportunity to transition...
Researchers conducted a randomized experiment with MSMEs in Indonesia to examine important growth barriers facing online businesses. First, to identify the importance of search frictions, they boosted visibility of randomly selected newly-onboarded firms by...
Digital financial services (DFS) are dramatically changing the financial inclusion map of the world. Given the promise of DFS, policymakers are prioritizing the rapid expansion of mobile banking by reducing the adaptation barriers. These barriers are often...
In 2018, the Government of Indonesia began a national rollout of its flagship food assistance program from the in-kind delivery of rice to the distribution of e-vouchers called BPNT, redeemable at a network of private sector vendors. This spurred the...
Policy reports suggest that agent network size, distribution, sustainability, service reliability, quality and demographics are important determinants of their performance. However, the available causal evidence on what interventions could be used to increase...