Policy Insights

What have we learned from randomized evaluations that policymakers, practitioners, and funders can use to improve social programs? J-PAL’s Policy Insights, organized by sector, highlight lessons emerging across multiple studies and the mechanisms that help explain the results.

J-PAL’s Sector Chairs and staff draw these insights from relevant randomized evaluations, updating and adding insights as the body of evidence grows. Each Policy Insight briefly summarizes their perspective on the evidence on a specific topic, with links to the original research and policy summaries. Read this blog post for more information about how we develop Policy Insights.

When combined with a detailed understanding of context and program implementation, we hope these insights can be practical inputs for policy and program design. For examples of how insights from randomized evaluations have informed policy, visit our Evidence to Policy page.

Two women shake hands across a table in a business setting

Improving job seekers’ employment and earnings through credible skills signals

Last updated:
Credible skills signals help alleviate information barriers for both job seekers and firms, and often improve employment and earnings at a low cost. More and better information enables applicants to have a more effective job search, often resulting in higher-quality jobs and better employment...
Workers construct a road while a car drives past on the right side

Public works programs and labor market outcomes

Last updated:
Public works programs in low- and middle-income countries provide short-term employment and earnings boosts to participants. These programs usually do not lead to lasting labor market benefits when measured several years after implementation, though they often generate lasting effects on asset...

Teaching business skills to support microentrepreneurs

Last updated:
Traditional business skills training programs lead to modest increases in microentrepreneurs’ profits and sales. Alternative training programs can lead to larger impacts, but some programs require more definitive evidence of their effectiveness.
Man looks over resume during a job interview

Vocational and skills training programs to improve labor market outcomes

Last updated:
While vocational and skills training programs have had mixed results, those that included practical experience, soft-skills training, and job referrals often increased the likelihood of being employed and earnings of people who were targeted. Vocational training programs often helped trainees...
Woman with three children in childcare center in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Access to childcare to improve women’s economic empowerment

Last updated:
Access to childcare can increase women’s employment outcomes by enabling their labor force participation, shift to more desirable work, or increase the productivity in their businesses. However, in cases where there are additional barriers to working outside the home, childcare may not be sufficient...
Job seekers work on their applications

Reducing search barriers for job seekers

Last updated:
Programs focused on reducing job search barriers often improve job seekers’ employment outcomes. These programs can help job seekers increase their search effort, identify where and how to look for jobs, surmount geographic and financial obstacles to finding a job, and communicate qualifications to...

Changing resumes to reduce hiring discrimination

Last updated:
Randomized evaluations show strong evidence of hiring discrimination against minority and underrepresented groups in many countries, with most evidence so far coming from developed countries. Where it has been tested using randomization, removing identifying information on job applications had...