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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.

Jobless Benefits Don’t Make People ‘Lazy,’ Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo Says

In an interview with the New York Times, J-PAL co-founder and Nobel laureate Esther Duflo explains that the desire to do meaningful work and be respected for it is more dominant than financial incentives.

April 2021 North America Newsletter

J-PAL North America's April newsletter highlights our new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage and two upcoming events, the HCDI@8 virtual convening and the Evaluation Social Programs executive education course.

How politics is shaping Biden’s infrastructure proposal

The White House makes compromises in the implementation of their new climate-focused infrastructure policy, reflecting how political pragmatism is shaping the new administration’s governing style. While the White House's infrastructure plan is politically popular, they may have to sacrifice cost...

How to Stop the Poverty Pandemic

Experience shows that innovative and evidence-based approaches, when executed well, can dent poverty. With the Covid-19 pandemic threatening to reverse hard-won global gains, the need for policy-relevant research, and for scaling effective solutions, has never been more urgent.

Bringing Rigorous Testing to Health Care Policy

J-PAL North America Co-Scientific Director Amy Finkelstein discusses how randomized evaluations are now underway for US government policy initiatives.

Opinion: NYC Schools Can Help Close the COVID Achievement Gap With Tutoring

Tutoring programs are discussed as potential ways to improve student learning and close gaps in academic achievement in light of Covid-19 in New York City, based on evidence from J-PAL North America's Tutoring Evidence Review which showed the positive effect that tutoring has on student academic...

February 2021 North America Newsletter

The February edition of J-PAL North America's monthly newsletter highlights the fifth round of State and Local Innovation Competition proposals, evidence for boosts in Earned Income Tax Credit, and research on the relationship between physical activity and mental health.

Study: Covid-19 communications featuring racially diverse physicians can improve health outcomes for communities of color

In a new study, Esther Duflo, Ben Olken, Abhijit Banerjee, and Marcella Alsan find that improved public health messaging to Black, Latinx, and other communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic can increase Covid-19 knowledge and information-seeking in the United States. The study...