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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 Remote Health Outreaches on Contraceptive Use in Uganda

Maria Dieci
Anne Fitzpatrick
Anthony Kamwesigye
Mahesh Karra
Xufeng Liu
Juliana Namutundu
Aggrey Semeere
In partnership with Health Access Connect, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of a community-led primary healthcare outreach program on women’s contraceptive choices, healthcare use, and work decisions in rural Uganda.

Using a Technology-Based Solution to Reduce Public Health Worker Absenteeism in Pakistan

Saad Gulzar
Ali Hasanain
In developing countries, public worker absence is a key obstacle to delivering services to the poor. This problem may occur when politicians reward their supporters with public sector jobs, making it difficult for communities to hold public servants accountable. Researchers evaluated the...

More School Resources, Better Teacher Incentives, or Both to Improve Student Learning in Tanzania

Rakesh Rajani
Youdi Schipper
Researchers evaluated the impact of providing schools with an unconditional cash grant, a teacher incentive program, or both on student learning. The cash grant had no impact on student learning, while the teacher incentive program had mixed results. However, combining both programs together had an...

Prepaid Electricity Meters to Decrease Electricity Use and Recover Utility Revenue in South Africa

Grant Smith
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation in Cape Town, South Africa to measure the effect of prepaid meters on households’ electricity use and utility revenue. They found that prepaid meters led households to reduce their electricity consumption, but helped the utility company recover more...

The Impact of Commitment Contracts on Workplace Productivity in India

Self-control problems can lead people to fall short of their personal and professional goals, often resulting in lower than desired workplace productivity. Researchers, in partnership with an Indian data entry firm, conducted a randomized evaluation to test whether self-control problems existed in...

Information to Increase Insurance Take-up and Reduce Market Risk in the United States

Richard Domurat
Isaac Menashe
Researchers studied the impact of reminder letters addressing possible barriers related to information and behavior on insurance take-up, as well as their impact on health insurance market risk. The reminder letters reducing informational and behavioral barriers to enrollment increased insurance...

Using Learning Camps to Improve Basic Learning Outcomes of Primary School Children in India

Rukmini Banerji
Marc Shotland
Michael Walton
To test whether TaRL can be implemented at-scale in government schools, researchers partnered with Pratham and the Government of Uttar Pradesh to evaluate the impact of high-intensity learning camps during school hours. The model proved highly effective, bringing about large improvements in student...