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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.

The Impact of Subsidies on the Demand for Electrification in Rural Kenya

Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of offering subsidies to connect to the power grid on the demand for rural electrification in Kenya. The study finds that demand falls rapidly as connection price increases, and that supply costs are very high.

Increasing Profits through Subsidized Microenterprise Relocation in Uganda

Those self-employed in microenterprises, who often report low profits and own few assets, account for fifty percent of the labor force in low-income countries. Researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to test the effect of relieving constraints to microenterprise relocation on business...

The Impact of Parent-Teacher Meetings on Student Learning and Behavior in Bangladeshi Primary Schools

The researcher evaluated whether randomly offering parent-teacher meetings led to improvements on student learning, parental engagement, and teacher efforts in primary schools in rural Bangladesh. Overall, the program led to improved test scores, increased parental engagement in children’s learning...

The Effect of Increased Autonomy vs. Performance Pay on Procurement Officers Performance in Pakistan

Researchers partnered with several agencies of the Government of Punjab, Pakistan, to evaluate the impact of giving procurement officers more autonomy, compared to financial rewards, on public procurement performance. Shifting authority away from supervisors and towards procurement officers improved...