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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.

Leveraging Referrals to Improve Targeting for Agricultural Training in Bangladesh

Researchers tested whether referrals by past trainees—both with and without incentives—improved the effectiveness of an agricultural training. Overall, the training increased adoption rates and improved agricultural performance. Referred farmers were only slightly more likely to adopt than those...

Preventing Homelessness Among Youth and Families with Children

Researchers evaluated the impact of case management and immediate financial assistance compared to only financial assistance on housing and health outcomes for youth and families with children.

The Impact of an Emissions Trading Scheme on Economic Growth and Air Quality in India

In India, researchers evaluated the impact of the first emissions trading scheme for particulate matter on air quality, industry compliance costs, and industry profits. Compliance with the market was high, and participating firms substantially reduced their particulate matter emissions without large...

Leveraging Teacher Incentives to Improve Student Performance and Reduce Dropout in Uganda

Daniel O. Gilligan
Naureen Karachiwalla
Ibrahim Kasirye
Derek Neal
Primary school teachers in Uganda face public scrutiny and high pressure around primary school exit exam results. As a result of the incentives around students being successful on this exam, teachers focus their energy on students who could receive passing marks and encourage lower-performing...

The Roles of Water Treatment Subsidies and Community Health Workers in Improving Child Health and Chlorine Usage in Malawi

Basimenye Nhlema
Zachary Wagner
Aaron Wolf
Emily Wroe
Researchers partnered with Partners in Health (PIH) to conduct a randomized evaluation to test the impact of monthly coupons and different CHW delivery methods on chlorine usage and child health outcomes in Southern Malawi. They find that the coupon program had stronger impacts on both outcomes and...

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Through Cash Transfers in Mali

Melissa Hidrobo
Shalini Roy
Researchers evaluated the effect of an unconditional cash transfer program targeting mostly men on intimate partner violence in a context where nearly forty percent of households are polygamous. Polygamous households receiving the transfer experienced less physical and emotional violence, while...

The Impact of Social Program Targeting Strategies on Reported and Actual Asset Ownership in Indonesia

Researchers partnered with the Government of Indonesia to conduct a randomized evaluation that tested whether adding questions on flat-screen televisions and cellphone SIM cards to a targeting census would change people’s reporting and actual purchases of those items. The findings suggest that while...

The Impact of Mobile Money on the Purchase of Improved Sanitation Services in Senegal

The proliferation of mobile money across low- and middle-income countries has led to increased availability of mobile payment systems, which can potentially allow more flexible payment terms for customers. Subsidies increased the use of mechanized desludgings, while pre-paid deposit requirements had...