Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab logo
 
2003–2024

 
  BY THE NUMBERS
2,200+
EVALUATIONS

conducted by researchers in our network across 96 countries, building a strong body of evidence on the most (and least) effective approaches to reducing poverty.

World map highlighting the evaluations J-PAL has conducted

EVALUATION GROWTH OVER TIME

Bar chart highlighting landmark years of growth in evaluation summaries

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RESEARCH IN 96 COUNTRIES

has identified region-specific, context-appropriate policy solutions worldwide.

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11 SECTORS

concentrate research and policy analysis across a wide breadth of social policy priorities.

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1,200+ EVALUATION SUMMARIES

of individual studies help make research results more accessible to policymakers and practitioners.

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48 POLICY INSIGHTS

highlight lessons emerging across multiple studies and explain the mechanisms driving these results.

ADVANCING POLICY-RELEVANT RESEARCH

2009

Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative (ATAI)

2011

Governance Initiative (GI)
Urban Services Initiative (USI)

2012

Youth Initiative
Post-Primary Education (PPE)

2013

North America Social Policy Research Initiative (SPRI)

2014

U.S. Health Care Delivery Initiative (HCDI)

2015

North America State and Local Innovation Initiative (SLII)
Government Partnership Initiative (GPI)

2017

Cash Transfers for Child Health Initiative (CaTCH)
Skills for Youth Program (SYP)
Crime and Violence Initiative (CVI)

2019
 


2019

North America Education, Technology, and Opportunity Initiative
 

Innovation in Government Initiative (IGI)
European Social Inclusion Initiative (ESII)
Innovations in Data and Experiments for Action (IDEA)
Africa Digital Identification and Finance Initiative (DigIFI)
North America Worker Prosperity Initiative

2020

Gender and Economic Agency Initiative (GEA)
North America COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Initiative
King Climate Action Initiative (K-CAI)
Jobs and Opportunity Initiative (JOI)
Southeast Asia Inclusive Financial Innovation Initiative (IFII)

2021

Digital Agricultural Innovations and Services Initiative (DAISI)
Jobs and Opportunity Initiative in Brazil (JOI Brazil)

2022
 

Alliance for Scaling Policy Impact through Research and Evidence (ASPIRE)
Social Protection Initiative (SPI)
Science for Progress Initiative (SFPI)
 

2023

Learning for All Initiative (LAI)
Displaced Livelihoods Initiative (DLI)

30
INITIATIVES LAUNCHED

Through our innovative initiative model,
J-PAL initiatives identify evidence gaps on key policy priorities; fund cutting-edge research through a competitive, peer-reviewed grant-making process; and engage with policymakers to share results and catalyze adoption of evidence at scale.

chart of types of grants funded

LOCAL GROUNDING

7
REGIONAL OFFICES

Our network of regional offices are hosted at universities around the world and lead research, policy engagement, and training across their regions. We also work closely with our partner organization, Innovations for Poverty Action, which has offices in 20 countries.

World map highlighting the countries where J-PAL has offices

Logos of regional office host universities

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

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20K+
PEOPLE TRAINED

Since its start in 2005, the J-PAL training group has grown to deliver hundreds of online and in-person courses and train more than 20,000 people around the world in conducting rigorous randomized evaluations.

 

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FLAGSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

Our Evaluating Social Programs course provides an introduction to randomized evaluations for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners and is offered virtually and in-person each year in locations worldwide.

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CUSTOMIZED OFFERINGS

Customized trainings are tailored to support policy and research partners working in specific sectors and regions.

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ONLINE COURSES

Online courses in several different languages make learning more accessible to broader audiences worldwide.

2,200
RESEARCH
STAFF TRAINED

In partnership with IPA, J-PAL hosts multiple in-person research staff trainings annually for employees of J-PAL, IPA, and Evidence for Policy Design, and other research staff working on evaluations led by J-PAL affiliated researchers.

350K+
DEDP LEARNERS

In 2017, J-PAL launched the online Data, Economics, and Design of Policy MicroMasters program in collaboration with MITx and the MIT Department of Economics. The program has reached over 350,000 learners with over 620,000 total enrollments across all courses.

 

Our learners come from 214 countries and territories, with more than 69% from low- and middle-income countries and 92% receiving some form of financial assistance.

 


ENROLLED LEARNERS
bar graph indicating the number of enrolled learners over the years
DIVERSIFYING   THE   RESEARCH   NETWORK

diversifying research network graphic
325+
AFFILIATED PROFESSORS

Based at universities around the world, J-PAL affiliates are experts in their fields who are united in their use of randomized evaluations to design, test, and inform adoption at scale of programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty.

 

J-PAL AFFILIATES OVER TIME

line graph of increasing affiliated professors over time from 2005 to 2023

8
REGIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAMS

Our Regional Scholars Programs enrich evidence generation with local, context-specific grounding by removing barriers for researchers based in low- and middle-income countries to conduct randomized evaluations through funding, mentorship, and training.

570+
INVITED RESEARCHERS

Invited researchers are an important element of our mission to increase the number of high-quality, policy-relevant randomized evaluations and ensure that policy is informed by this scientific evidence. Typically researchers who have less experience carrying out randomized evaluations, they add to a growing evidence base while gaining expertise in randomized evaluation methods.

J-PAL INVITED RESEARCHERS
GENDER OVER TIME

Graph of invited researchers gender over time


INVITED RESEARCHERS IN 2023

pie chart showing 38% of invited researchers based at a university outside of the US and 62% based at US university

We are working toward increasing the diversity of our research network, staff, and the places in which we conduct research; and are prioritizing equity and inclusion in our work. This includes strengthening our research network at all stages of the pipeline.

 graphic displaying path from pre-doc/research associate to phd student to post-doc researcher to invited researcher to affiliated professors

 

FROM EVIDENCE TO POLICY

 
 
25+
EMBEDDED GOVERNMENT LABS AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Evidence from randomized evaluations is changing how we understand and address problems related to poverty. Policymakers, practitioners, and funders worldwide are increasingly applying this learning to social policies and programs.

PATHWAYS TO POLICY CHANGE
 
20 YEARS OF
EVIDENCE + IMPACT


600M
LIVES REACHED


 

Enabling innovation and growth

Who is Abdul Latif Jameel?

Following in the footsteps of his late father, the visionary entrepreneur and mission-driven philanthropist Abdul Latif Jameel, Mohammed Jameel KBE—an MIT alumnus—launched Community Jameel in 2003. Community Jameel partnered with J-PAL in 2005 with three significant endowments that sparked the lab’s expansion to the worldwide research center it is today and catalyzed its transformative impact.

Photo (left to right): Iqbal Dhaliwal, Esther Duflo, Hassan Jameel, Mohammed Jameel, Abhijit Banerjee, Ben Olken, Fady Jameel.

What is Community Jameel?

J-PAL continues to work in close collaboration with Community Jameel, an independent, global organization that advances science and learning for communities to thrive. Established in 2003, Community Jameel supports scientists, humanitarians, technologists and creatives to understand and address pressing human challenges.

 

 

Our visionary partners

Our work is generously supported by foundations, governments, and individuals. In addition to Community Jameel, major donors include Arnold Ventures, Co-Impact, Echidna Giving, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Google.org, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, King Philanthropies, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Douglas B. Marshall Jr. Family Foundation, Omidyar Network, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

 

Awards won through the years

As randomized evaluation methods have evolved in scale and impact over the past twenty years, many of our affiliated professors have been recognized by leading economics organizations for their path-breaking research.

 

Elaine Bennett Research Prize

Erica Field (2010)
Amy Finkelstein (2008)
Marianne Bertrand (2004)
Esther Duflo (2002)

American Economic Association logo

MacArthur Fellowship

Marcella Alsan (2021)
Amy Finkelstein (2018)
Heidi Williams (2015)
Raj Chetty (2012)
Esther Duflo (2009)
Sendhil Mullainathan (2002)
Michael Kremer (1997)

MacArthur Foundation logo

Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

Abhijit Banerjee (2019)
Esther Duflo (2019)
Michael Kremer (2019)

Nobel Prize Medal

John Bates Clark Medal

Raj Chetty (2013)
Amy Finkelstein (2012)
Esther Duflo (2010)

John Bates Clark Medal

Founding affiliates

J-PAL was founded by professors Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Sendhil Mullainathan of MIT. The five affiliated professors who joined them when we first opened our doors in 2003 paved the way for a growing network of nearly 300 affiliates today. Our affiliated researchers are at the heart of what we do and have helped spearhead two decades of innovative and impactful research.

 

Headshot of Abhijit Banerjee

Abhijit Banerjee
MIT

Headshot of Marianne Bertrand

Marianne Bertrand
University of Chicago

Headshot of Esther Duflo

Esther Duflo
MIT

Headshot of Dean Karlan

Dean Karlan
Northwestern University

Headshot of Michael Kremer

Michael Kremer
University of Chicago

Headshot of Dan Levy

Dan Levy
Harvard University

Headshot of Edward Miguel

Edward Miguel
UC Berkeley

Headshot of Sendhil Mullainathan

Sendhil Mullainathan
University of Chicago

 

 

Celebrating longtime staff

J-PAL has been home to thousands of talented individuals who have helped shape our organization. We celebrate the current J-PALers who have been with us continuously for more than ten years, making countless impactful contributions along the way. Thank you!

 

Five rows of headshots.

 

Row 1: B. Ayyappa (South Asia, 2007), Shobhini Mukerji (South Asia, 2007), Chaerudin Kodir (Southeast Asia, 2008), Hansa Parmar (South Asia, 2008), Vipin Awatramani (South Asia, 2009).

Row 2: Iqbal Dhaliwal (Global, 2009), David Sears (Global, 2010), Narayanee A (South Asia, 2011), Ilf Bencheikh (Europe, 2011), John Floretta (South Asia and Global, 2011).

Row 3: H.Y. Gowramma (South Asia, 2011), Harini Kannan (South Asia, 2011), Heather McCurdy (Global, 2011), Arindam Mukherji (South Asia, 2011), Ruben Menon (South Asia, 2012).

Row 4: Claire Walsh (Global, 2012), Saurabh Bhajibhakare (South Asia, 2013), Putul Gupta (South Asia, 2013), Sabahat Ali Khan (South Asia, 2013), Rama Krishna (South Asia, 2013).

Row 5: Claudia Macías (Latin America and the Caribbean, 2013), Lina Marliani (Southeast Asia, 2013), Mohamed Murthala (South Asia, 2013).