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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.

Intergenerational Conflict and Schooling Decisions in Brazil

Lucas Coffman
A study on parents’ demand for conditionality in a Brazilian cash transfer program revealed that parents are willing to pay to for the conditionality in order to monitor their children’s school attendance.

Increasing the Transparency of Environmental Regulation in India

In India, where particulate matter pollution is a pressing issue, researchers are investigating whether increased transparency about industrial firms’ pollution emissions can improve the enforcement of environmental laws and reduce pollution.

Handwashing and Behavior Change in Bangladesh

Dayea Oh
Researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the impact of an edutainment intervention at schools and the provision of handwashing resources at home on handwashing at school and at home. These findings suggest that encouraging behavior change in one setting may crowd out like behavior in...

The Medium-Term Impacts of High-Achieving Charter Schools in the United States

Researchers examined results of a school admissions lottery to measure the impact of charter school education on students after six years. They found that offering a charter education resulted in improved test scores, higher college enrollment, a reduction in specific risky behaviors, and no...

Reducing Inappropriate Prescribing of Controlled Substances in the United States

Shantanu Agrawal
David Yokum
Researchers tested whether an informative letter campaign could reduce inappropriate prescribing of controlled substances in Medicare Part D. Letters had no detectable effect on prescribing. In ongoing work, researchers are testing alternative versions of letters.

Improving Take-Up of Tax Benefits in the United States

In the United States, many people who are eligible for social and economic benefits do not claim those benefits. Researchers partnered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to test the effectiveness of different messages to taxpayers designed to encourage them to claim certain tax benefits.