Globally Informed, Locally Grounded

Our local grounding is critical to the success of our work. Based at leading universities on five continents, J-PAL’s seven regional offices anchor our research, policy engagement, and training. 

Our teams in these offices understand local issues, local contexts, and local languages. We provide high-quality on-the-ground research support to our network of academics, including contributing to the design of survey instruments, managing survey teams, and building key relationships with implementing partners.

We also form close partnerships with governments, advocacy organizations, and NGOs to help map evidence to partners' priorities and build up a culture of evidence-informed policymaking.

Hear from our regional leadership on strategic efforts in the last year and top priorities for 2025.

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J-PAL Africa

In my first year as Executive Director of J-PAL Africa, I have been inspired by the tremendous progress we have made in building meaningful research and policy partnerships that have the potential to impact millions of lives.

—Vinayak Bhardwaj, Executive Director, J-PAL Africa

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J-PAL Europe

We believe that advancing evidence-based policymaking in Europe requires investment in the research infrastructure to generate new evidence, as well as in the skills required to access and leverage insights from this research for more effective policies.

—Cillian Nolan, Executive Director, J-PAL Europe

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Abhijit Banerjee speaking on stage next to Monica Martinez-Bravo.
Elementary students walking down a long hallway

J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean

We look forward to continuing to support governments and organizations in formulating evidence-based policies, always in collaboration with you, our present and future partners, to empower and enrich lives in Latin America and the Caribbean.

—Paula Pedro, Executive Director, J-PAL LAC

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J-PAL Middle East and North Africa

As we reflect on 2024, J-PAL MENA has achieved exceptional milestones in broadening our regional impact and forging deeper partnerships across the region.

—Ahmed Elsayed, Executive Director, J-PAL MENA

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Group photo of J-PAL staff during an event in Cairo
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J-PAL North America

In 2024, J-PAL North America turned its attention to the decades ahead. We’re focused on continuing to generate rigorous evidence on how to advance economic mobility and racial equity while expanding our efforts to influence policy.

—Laura Feeney and Vincent Quan, Co-Executive Directors, J-PAL North America

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J-PAL South Asia

For us at J-PAL South Asia, 2024 has been a year of deep reflection and eager anticipation… While we are proud of how far we have come, we look ahead with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.

—Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director, J-PAL South Asia

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Group photo of J-PAL South Asia team at an event
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J-PAL Southeast Asia

2024 has been a year of opportunity and progress. Indonesia’s governmental transition was a key moment to leverage learnings from our past research to inform future policies and programs.

—Lina Marliani, Executive Director, J-PAL Southeast Asia

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