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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 Packaging and Messaging on Adherence to Malaria Treatment in Uganda

Indrani Saran
Researchers evaluated the effects of different medication packaging and messaging on individuals’ adherence to malaria treatment in Uganda. They found that colorful, “high quality” packaging had no effect, while adding low-cost stickers with simple informative messaging to existing packaging...

A Universal Program to Raise the Well-being of Rural Communities in Uganda

Many programs that aim to help people in poverty are tailored to specific households. But often, entire communities can be living in poverty. Researchers partnered with the NGO Raising the Village to conduct a randomized evaluation of a universal livelihoods program in Uganda that offered a bundle...

Motivating Citizens to Seek Political Office in Pakistan

Saad Gulzar
Researchers examined the impact of different types of motivation on the number and quality of candidates running for village councils in Pakistan, electoral outcomes, and elected candidates’ policy alignment with citizens’ interests. They found that portraying politics as socially beneficial–rather...

The Impact of Temporary Subsidies and Financial Education on Demand for Weather Insurance in China

To better understand why people do or do not buy insurance, researchers partnered with the People’s Insurance Company of China (PICC) to conduct a randomized evaluation of an insurance subsidy and financial education program in Jiangxi province, China. Providing free insurance for one year increased...

Education Mismatch and Motivational Messages

Giacomo De Giorgi
Sebastián Otero
Researchers are evaluating the impact of providing information on national rank and scholarships can reduce dropout among high-performing students.

Books or Laptops? The Cost-Effectiveness of Shifting from Printed to Digital Delivery of Educational Content in Honduras

Rosangela Bando
Dario Romero Fonseca
Researchers partnered with the Honduran government to evaluate the impact of replacing textbooks with laptops on student learning. Using laptops resulted in no change in learning outcomes, suggesting that laptops could be a cost-effective substitute to textbooks if they can replace enough textbooks.