The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,000 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 1,000 researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.
Our affiliated professors are based at over 120 universities and conduct randomized evaluations around the world to design, evaluate, and improve programs and policies aimed at reducing poverty. They set their own research agendas, raise funds to support their evaluations, and work with J-PAL staff on research, policy outreach, and training.
Our research, policy, and training work is fundamentally better when it is informed by a broad range of perspectives.
Research Associate, J-PAL Global
Haru Nakazawa is a Research Associate at J-PAL Global, working with Professors Ben Olken (MIT) and Rema Hanna (Harvard Kennedy School). His work centers around evaluating the impacts of various social protection programs in Southeast Asia. This includes Kartu Prakerja, a job training and cash assistance program in Indonesia, and an ongoing experiment to incorporate computer vision into property tax collection in Pakistan.
Prior to joining in 2024, Haru completed his BA in economics and sociology at Amherst College. He is especially interested in international migration and in supporting those who live across borders. His experiences in this field include interning at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as well as assisting and conducting academic research.